Mchunu chief of staff’s ‘thumbsucking’ testimony admission sparks perjury accusations

If Cedrick Nkabinde is to be believed, he had an exceptionally close relationship with KwaZulu-Natal police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, to the point that they went on a “boy’s trip” together last year.

Nkabinde allegedly also facilitated a meeting between his boss, now sidelined Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, and ANC-aligned North West businessman Brown Mogotsi, who has since been accused of information peddling in what has become South Africa’s policing scandal.

Nkabinde’s version of certain events emerged in Parliament’s ad hoc committee on Thursday, 13 November 2025, when he testified there for the first time.

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The Commander-in-Chief of the EFF, @Julius_S_Malema, calls for the arrest of Nkabinde for perjury and lying under oath, or for him to recuse himself from the Ad Hoc Committee.

Nkabinde sat in the Committee and admitted that he thumb-sucked his affidavit, yet he… pic.twitter.com/ud9IJ0Rjuj

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) November 13, 2025

It was anticipated he would provide evidence and be cross-examined from morning until evening.

But proceedings were halted prematurely for reasons including that dates in the written statement Nkabinde supplied to the ad hoc committee did not align with his oral testimony.

The proceedings also became heated, with EFF leader Julius Malema at one point saying, “It’s perjury. It’s a lie. He needs to be arrested for lying to Parliament – lying under oath.”

Parliament’s ad hoc committee is investigating accusations, initially made by Mkhwanazi in July, that a drug trafficking cartel has infiltrated South Africa’s law enforcement, politics and private security.

‘I was thumbsucking’

Heavy focus during Thursday’s proceedings was on Nkabinde’s dealings with Mogotsi.

Mogotsi was previously accused of being something of a middleman connected to people including Mchunu and organised crime accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

During previous ad hoc committee proceedings, it was alleged that Matlala was approached to financially back a project involving Mchunu’s ambition of becoming ANC president or deputy president.

Mchunu previously denied any wrongdoing and described Mogotsi as nothing more than a political comrade.

Read more: Cele’s allegations — the murder and the Mchunu project for ANC presidency

During Thursday’s proceedings, issues involving timelines, as well as Nkabinde, Mogotsi and Mchunu were discussed.

Questions were asked about Nkabinde and Mogotsi’s first interaction.

Nkabinde said he first got hold of a phone number for Mogotsi after Mchunu asked him to facilitate a meeting in October or November 2024. 

But Sibonelo Nomvalo from the MK Party said that in his (Nkabinde’s) written testimony, Nkabinde indicated that Mkhwanazi gave him the number at the end of September 2024.

Witness statements are given to MPs as part of the committee’s bundle of evidence. 

“There’s a lot of contradictions the witness is making”, said Nomvalo. 

ANC MP Xola Nqola said Nkabinde’s witness statement noted that he received Mogotsi’s number while in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, with Mchunu.

In response, Nkabinde said he could not be precise with the dates. 

Malema reacted and questioned Nkabinde’s statement. 

Nkabinde then made an astonishing admission: “I was thumbsucking.”

Malema hit back, saying, “We are being given thumbsucked information in front of the nation.”

He asked why the committee should continue with Nkabinde’s oral testimony when the dates did not match his written statement.

ActionSA’s Dereleen James added her voice to this aspect and asked if he had a personal assistant who could help iron out the dates.

She added: “Mr Nkabinde, jy mors regtig ons tyd.” (Mr Nkabinde, you are really wasting our time). 

This sparked questions about who wrote Nkabinde’s statement.

He said he “was truthful and open with the evidence leaders” who helped him draft the statement.

A draft statement was concluded on Sunday, followed by two more drafts before the statement was finalised and given to MPs.

Nkabinde testified: “I take ownership of the statement. The statement was read by me, and I signed.”

The EFF’s Leigh Anne Matthys said the party would open a perjury case against Nkabinde over his testimony before the committee.

Daily Maverick has before reported that lying under oath is a criminal offence and carries a punishment of a fine or imprisonment.

Mogotsi and another meeting

Nkabinde testified on Thursday about two meetings planned for Mchunu and Mogotsi. 

One was scheduled for the October/November 2024 period, and it took place. 

The other meeting was earmarked for January 2025, but was cancelled. 

Nkabinde testified that Mchunu told him to facilitate the October/November meeting between Mchunu and North West ANC leaders (as well as Mogotsi).

The meeting was about ongoing illegal mining operations in the Stilfontein area. According to Nkabinde, it took place at Mchunu’s private residence. 

“Brown came with four or five other people,” Nkabinde said. 

He testified he did not know the people, but Mogotsi called them “comrades”. 

The ANC’s Xola Nqola wanted clarity and asked if this meeting took place at a private residence or Mchunu’s government residences, which were in Pretoria and Cape Town.

David Skosana of the MK party, told Nkabinde: “When you talk about ‘private residence’, I thought you meant Empangeni.” (This is where Mchunu’s family home is located.)

When quizzed about where the meeting took place, Nkabinde eventually testified that it took place at Mchunu’s official government house in Pretoria.

This contradicted Nkabinde’s earlier testimony that the meeting took place at Mchunu’s private residence. 

Cop and ‘whistleblower’

Nkabinde’s background was a point of focus earlier on Thursday.

He began as a detective constable in the South African Police Service in 2004, before moving to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), which at that stage was headed by Robert McBride.

Nkabinde resigned from Ipid in 2018 after “a misunderstanding” with McBride.

He testified that he “blew a whistle” on a matter “implicating” McBride and forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan, whose name has also previously surfaced during ad hoc committee proceedings.

Asked how he became Chief of Staff to the Minister of Police, Mr Cedrick Nkabinde told the #AdHocCommittee he’s known Minister Senzo Mchunu since 2017. Mr Mchunu needed a Chief of Staff who understands the environment - and asked him to submit his CV #Parliament #Mkhwanazi… pic.twitter.com/BuyIk2eqH8

— Justice-and-security-Cluster (@JustSecuCluster) November 13, 2025

Nkabinde said that in April 2018, he submitted a report on this matter to police minister at the time, Bheki Cele, but the following month McBride got hold of it and “got very upset with the contents”.

According to Nkabinde, this eventually saw McBride proposing a settlement – that McBride would withdraw charges against him if Nkabinde resigned.

Nkabinde agreed to the proposal and left Ipid.

Murder case and meeting Mchunu 

During his time at Ipid, he had met Mchunu.

The meeting was linked to the 2015 murder of Xolani Nkosi, who had been Mchunu’s bodyguard when he was KwaZulu-Natal Premier (between 2013 and 2016).

Nkosi was shot several times. (Daily Maverick sourced a police statement from 2021 that said two accused, Bheki Gumede and Ntuthuko Mkhwanazi, were sentenced in connection with Nkosi’s killing.)

Nkabinde, testifying in Parliament on Thursday, said Mchunu had been accused of defeating the ends of justice in this case, and Mchunu believed the Hawks were targeting and harassing him over it.

Read more: Mchunu once quizzed by his chief of staff over evidence destruction in police probe — Mkhwanazi

“He felt there was something untoward about the behaviour of the police,” Nkabinde said.

“Minister Mchunu was not a suspect. His bodyguard… or security personnel in his office was shot dead. He was not a suspect at all. Mr Mchunu was not happy with the progress in the case.”

This resulted in Mchunu hiring a private investigator.

Mchunu, by this stage no longer premier, had also approached Ipid, which saw Nkabinde, along with McBride, visit him in person.

That was how Mchunu and Nkabinde met – and Nkabinde kept in intermittent contact with Mchunu, whom he “looked up to… as high-profile… in government in politics.”

Nkabinde viewed Mchunu as an elevated individual because he said Mchunu fitted into a group of important people he would usually see on television.

MPs shook their heads at several points during Nkabinde’s testimony, including at this aspect.

‘Boys’ trip’ versus ‘just colleagues’

Nkabinde testified on Thursday that he had also met Mkhwanazi while at Ipid. It was through Nkabinde that Mkhwanazi met Mchunu.

Nkabinde said that in early 2024, he joined Mkhwanazi to do some of his errands in Empangeni.

While there, Nkabinde said he remembered that Mchunu lived in the area, so they made an impromptu visit – this was how Mkhwanazi was introduced to Mchunu.

Evidence leader advocate Norman Arendse SC asked what Nkabinde’s and Mkhwanazi’s “errands” were in Empangeni.

Read more: SA’s policing scandal explodes – ‘Under siege’ Sibiya and Mchunu’s chief staffer raided

Nkabinde said that in his statement to the ad hoc committee, he had specifically worded what they had done as “errands” because “it was personal stuff for General Mkhwanazi”.

Nkabinde added: “I think it’s safe to say it was a boys’ trip. Safe to say [it] like that, otherwise me and him will get into trouble because I believe his wife and my wife are watching here.”

Nkabinde described his relationship with Mkhwanazi as “very, very personal”.

This contradicted what Mkhwanazi previously told the ad hoc committee – that he knew Nkabinde as a colleague, not as a close friend.

Man in the mirror

Thursday’s proceedings culminated with committee chair Soviet Lekganyane telling Nkabinde he needed to go back and reflect.

“When you look at that mirror, see morality in the mirror and read it and understand what it is. See integrity in the mirror, see ethics in the mirror,” Lekganyane said.

“See all the values in section 195 of the South African Constitution and then make a statement.”

It was not immediately clear when Nkabinde would be called back to the ad hoc committee.

Daily Maverick has reported that the committee has until 28 November to complete its work. 

It has asked for an extension, but is waiting for confirmation that this will happen, and if so, for how long.

Next week, KwaZulu-Natal violence researcher Professor Mary de Haas is expected to testify before the committee. DM