Mkhwanazi said he held the media briefing in July to take the public into his confidence about the challenges facing the Saps.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has warned that the criminal justice system risks total collapse if nothing is done about the corruption and sabotage in the institutions.
Mkhwanazi took the hot seat at the Madlanga Commission as its first witness at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria.
On 6 July, Mkhwanazi held a media briefing, in which he levelled several allegations against police management and the judiciary, among others.
Mkhwanazi said an investigation with the Gauteng organised crime investigation unit unmasked a syndicate which involves politicians, law enforcement, metro police, correctional services, prosecutors, the judiciary, and is controlled by drug cartels as well as businesspeople.
Mkhwanazi said that although he presented the media statement alone in July, he did not work alone to compile it.
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“This briefing was a product of the collective and collaborative efforts of various units within the Saps [South African Police Service], the majority of men and women in blue in [the] service, who were responsible, together with me, for compiling this document,” said Mkhwanazi.
“It was a reflection of the common concerns that we share as colleagues in different ranks within the service, which made us have a common desire for these problems to be resolved, in order to enable these members of the service to be able to serve with honour and dignity.”
Mkhwanazi on briefing
While Mkhwanazi went public with the allegations, it divided the country, with some saying he should have used “proper channels” to report them, while others commended him.
He told the commission that the decision to go public was a result of collective frustration among his colleagues due to the political interference and corruption when solving cases.
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“When I made the address before South Africans, it was because I wanted to inform the public about the level of challenges that we are experiencing as the Saps in relation to the work we do as police, which involves criminality and the political interference in the work that we do as police,” said Mkhwanazi.
“This also includes corruption within the value chain of the justice system, which we are part of as law enforcement.”
He expressed confidence in the commission’s work to dismantle the corruption in the criminal justice system before it collapses, calling for urgent action.
“I wanted to demonstrate that the criminal justice system has been subject to a continuous threat and sabotage, which has been with us over an extended period, to the point where we believe it is at real risk of a total collapse if nothing is done,” said Mkhwanazi.
“Urgent and effective interventions are required in order to avert this outcome. I believe this commission will play a very important role in helping us prevent the total collapse of the justice system in our country.”
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