South Africa: Mchunu Fights Back and Says 'Mkhwanazi Should Have Called Me First'

Suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu says Mkhwanazi had enough time to raise concerns with him directly before going public with corruption accusations

Mchunu tells Constitutional Court he was completely caught off guard by the police commissioner's sudden press conference attacking him.

Suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu has told the Constitutional Court he was completely blindsided when KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi publicly accused him of protecting criminal gangs.

Mchunu is on a leave of absence while a judicial commission investigates claims of criminal infiltration in the police and intelligence services. But now he's fighting back, especially against Mkhwanazi, who he says had more than enough time to talk to him privately before launching his devastating public attack.

In a legal response to former president Jacob Zuma's MK Party, which is challenging President Cyril Ramaphosa's authority to place Mchunu on leave, Mchunu said he never acted improperly and denied that he killed a police task team to protect criminals.

He explained that national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola had been ordered to shut down the task team, and had not raised any objections at the time. Masemola even provided a detailed plan for how to do it.

"If Masemola was opposed to the disbandment, he certainly did not communicate this to me," Mchunu said, City Press reported.

Mchunu slammed Mkhwanazi for calling a sudden press conference and digging up old events without even warning him first.

"I was taken by complete surprise," he said. "General Mkhwanazi had ample time to raise his concerns with me directly."

He added that he told President Ramaphosa he strongly denied the claims and welcomed an open process to clear his name.

The inquiry is probing how criminal gangs may have infiltrated law enforcement, including the SA Police Service, the NPA, and the State Security Agency. It has the power to summon witnesses, seize documents, and recommend prosecutions.

Mchunu also said the ANC's step-aside rule does not apply to him because he hasn't been charged with a crime.

The inquiry has six months to complete its work, with reports due at three-month intervals and final findings handed to Parliament and the judiciary.

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