Mkhwanazi said people should not think his acceptance of the award suggests that 'all is well in our country'.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Picture: South African Police Service
The National Press Club has honoured the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, with the 2025 Newsmaker of the Year award.
The event held at the CSIR International Convention Centre took place on Friday evening.
Mkhwanazi has dominated headlines since his July 2025 media briefing, in which he alleged that a sophisticated criminal syndicate has infiltrated South Africa’s criminal justice system. Following his media briefing, President Cyril Ramaphosa established the Madlanga commission, which has resulted in the arrest of several law enforcement officials. The commission resumes on Monday.
Accepting the award, Mkhwanazi dedicated the recognition to his colleagues, emphasising that true service is defined not by awards but by integrity, courage, and a commitment to protecting the people of South Africa.
Mkhwanazi said the work of a police officer is not done for applause, headlines, or awards, but for the people of South Africa.
“This award must never be misunderstood. The media briefing of 6 July 2025 was not an exercise in popularity. It was not a campaign and not an attempt to become a public figure. It was an act of duty. An act informed by conscience. An act informed by the love of this country. And an act informed by the responsibility I carry as the Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal,” said Mkhwanazi.
“As a disciplined member of the South African Police Service, I took an oath many years ago; an oath to uphold the constitution, protect the citizens of this country and defend the rule of law without fear or favour. That oath does not change depending on political convenience, media pressure, public opinion or personal consequence.”
Patriotism
Mkhwanazi said South Africa was facing a situation in which institutions fear the truth more than they fear criminality, which is dangerous territory for society.
“We cannot continue to normalise corruption and protect incompetence. We cannot continue to romanticise criminality while honest citizens live behind burglar bars, businesses collapse under extortion, communities are terrorised by organised crime and public trust in institutions continues to erode.
“The truth is painful; a capable state cannot coexist with compromised institutions. And the process of renewal cannot selectively target certain sectors while others remain untouched. The spring cleaning currently confronting the criminal justice system must cut across all sectors of society: government departments, municipalities, law enforcement agencies, the private sector, and, yes, even the media itself.
“Every institution in this country must ask itself: Are we serving South Africa, or are we serving ourselves? Because patriotism is not found in slogans. It is found in accountability, ethical leadership, courage and is the willingness to place country before comfort.”
Mkhwanazi: ‘All is not well’
Mkhwanazi said people should not think his acceptance of the award suggests that “all is well in our country”.
“It is precisely because all is not well that every one of us must recommit ourselves to making it well. I accept this award primarily on behalf of the men and women in blue. The members who still believe in the badge. The members who still believe that the Saps can and must become a trusted instrument of justice for the people of South Africa.
“There are many honest and committed police officers in this country. Men and women who refuse to surrender this organisation to corruption, criminal infiltration or institutional decay. This recognition belongs to them.”
He urged South Africans to defend the truth and place the country’s future above personal interests.
“May we all find the courage to do so.”
