It has been a year since KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s press briefing alleging collusion between senior politicians, police and organised crime bosses. The impact continues to reverberate throughout the country, particularly in the upper echelons of the South African Police Service (SAPS).

But while Mkhwanazi has become a widely recognised public figure, there is some uncertainty about what he stands for. Some hesitate to affirm him for standing against both corruption and what he described as inappropriate interference in the police.

In response to his allegations, two inquiries were established in the same month: the Madlanga Commission, appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, and an ad hoc committee appointed by Parliament. Parliament’s report is due on 16 July, and that of the Madlanga Commission on 31 August.

Mkhwanazi’s 6 July 2025 press briefing and the processes it set in motion have been enormously beneficial for South Africa. A range of police criminality has been exposed, including alleged drug heists, extortion, truck hijacking, theft and murder.

Prosecutions or disciplinary action on an array of matters have been initiated against various personnel from the SAPS, metro police departments and Gauteng Traffic Police. Most recently, four more people were arrested in Johannesburg on 8 July by police from the Madlanga Commission task team.

Two senior SAPS members have so far been dismissed – Brigadier Rachel Matjeng and Major General Lesetja Senona, provincial head of the KwaZulu-Natal Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks).

The inquiries have lifted the curtain on a multifaceted drama of rivalries, personalities, politics and crime. Some among the cast of characters have become household names.

The two probes have also occurred against a backdrop of violence, including the tragic murder of Marius van der Merwe, who gave evidence to the Madlanga Commission in November 2025 as Witness D. Others called to appear or mentioned in testimony have been attacked or threatened, or have taken their own lives.

While much has been revealed, one enigma that remains concerns the man who first made the allegations.

A major question is why Mkhwanazi wore SAPS Special Task Force camouflage fatigues and surrounded himself with masked and armed police officers at the 2025 press briefing. A similar style has been used by recent coup leaders in West and Central Africa, raising concern that this may reflect an intention to undermine the government’s authority.

Mkhwanazi’s briefing placed him on a path of confrontation with senior SAPS members, who he alleged were in cahoots with organised crime figures involved in a variety of offences, including targeted assassination. The staged nature of the press briefing may have been a warning to those he was exposing that he would properly defend himself if targeted.

Mkhwanazi was appointed KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner in April 2021. He has become a popular hero, with his name attracting substantial attention on social media. Some of his supporters credit him for the high death toll that police have exacted in KwaZulu-Natal in recent years, allegedly in shootouts with criminal gangs.

Mkhwanazi has bristled at suggestions that police under his command act unlawfully, and has challenged accusations that he is undermining the rule of law. Even so, many people, including some of his supporters, believe police are deliberately killing people rather than arresting them.

Political parties and others have tried to exploit Mkhwanazi’s popularity by aligning themselves with him. The online environment has developed something of a mob mentality, with those who question him facing ridicule and scorn. But there is no evidence that he is aligned with any specific political agenda.

It seems Mkhwanazi sees himself as dedicated to the work of the police and criminal justice system. In his appearance before the ad hoc committee on 8 October 2025, he spoke out against ministerial overreach and political meddling in policing.

In his written statement to the Madlanga Commission, he expressed a commitment ‘to the independence and the proper functioning’ of the criminal justice system and the security of South Africa’s citizens. He said he wanted to enable police to ‘serve with honour and dignity.’

Mkhwanazi is the only senior SAPS member to have openly stood up against what he perceived as irregular interference in the organisation. He first did so in 2012 when, as acting SAPS National Commissioner, he resisted political pressure to withdraw the suspension of then-Crime Intelligence head Richard Mdluli, who was facing serious criminal allegations. Mdluli had been appointed through an irregular political process.

Mkhwanazi should not be seen as above criticism. His remarks about ‘war’ in relation to the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption were at the very least open to misinterpretation. His comments that journalists should be surveilled and investigated have also caused concern, though he has also affirmed the media’s work.

Some commentators appear to believe that the evidence presented to both inquiries by senior police, including Mkhwanazi, is a manifestation of factional competition and positioning, ultimately motivated by self-interest.

But Mkhwanazi’s press briefing should be recognised for its boldness in defying the prevailing code of silence in the SAPS, which has enabled police corruption to become entrenched.

Over the coming months, the final reports of the two inquiries will raise major questions about corruption and inappropriate interference in South African policing. Whether the response is decisive and effective depends on the quality, integrity and commitment of political and police leadership.

What is clear is that Mkhwanazi’s 6 July press briefing has provided South Africa with its best chance of tackling top-level police corruption.

Written by David Bruce, Independent Researcher and ISS Consultant