The Briefing — 6 July 2025
of Inquiry
The summary
On Sunday 6 July 2025, KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi stood before the media at the SAPS Provincial Headquarters in Durban, flanked by armed Special Task Force members, and spent over an hour laying out what he called a deliberate obstruction of the justice system — 'collusion between criminals, senior police, prosecutors, intelligence operatives, and elements of the judiciary'. He accused then-Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of interfering in ongoing investigations and of ordering the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), and he registered a criminal complaint against the Minister. Within nine days the President had placed the Minister on special leave and announced a national judicial commission of inquiry. This page is the entry point: read the briefing, then follow every thread it opened.
The mandate
The thread — full timeline
New Year's Eve directive: Mchunu orders the PKTT disbanded
On 31 December 2024, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu issues a formal directive disbanding the Political Killings Task Team, stating that 'its further existence is no longer required, nor is it adding any value to policing in South Africa.' The directive becomes the fuse for everything that follows.
"Its further existence is no longer required, nor is it adding any value to policing in South Africa."— Minister Senzo Mchunu, disbandment directive, 31 December 2024
Disbandment sparks public concern — and Mkhwanazi's objection
The Witness reports concern over the disbandment of the PKTT as Mchunu confirms his decision. KZN Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi objects, arguing the PKTT was 'the only successful task team in the country' and that its dissolution would derail ongoing investigations. Analysts and civil society warn the move could embolden political hitmen.
"The only successful task team in the country."— Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, on the PKTT, January 2025 (as summarised in the PKTT Wikipedia record)
THE BRIEFING — Mkhwanazi detonates the national crisis
At the SAPS Provincial Headquarters in Durban, flanked by armed Special Task Force members, Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi holds an impromptu, hour-long press briefing. He warns of 'collusion between criminals, senior police, prosecutors, intelligence operatives, and elements of the judiciary', describes a 'total collapse' of the justice system if unaddressed, accuses then-Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of interfering in ongoing investigations and of ordering the PKTT's disbandment, and registers a criminal complaint against the Minister. The briefing sends shockwaves through the country's criminal justice system.
"Collusion between criminals, senior police, prosecutors, intelligence operatives, and elements of the judiciary."— Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, 6 July 2025 briefing (as reported by Newsday)
"A total collapse."— Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, on the risk if the collusion went unaddressed, 6 July 2025
Receipts and repercussions — the political reaction begins
The morning after the briefing, Mkhwanazi's allegations put Minister Mchunu in the national spotlight. The chairperson of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron, demands answers, and the country's political class begins choosing sides. IOL headlines the story 'Receipts and repercussions'.
Ramaphosa places Mchunu on special leave
One week after the briefing, President Cyril Ramaphosa places Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave following accusations that he colluded with a criminal syndicate and interfered in high-profile investigations. International outlets including Reuters, Al Jazeera and DW cover the suspension.
The President answers with a national commission
The day after the suspension, President Ramaphosa announces a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the allegations by Mkhwanazi — the body that becomes the Madlanga Commission — chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga. Terms of reference are gazetted: an interim report within three months, a final report within six.
'I am wearing General Mkhwanazi' — Mchunu finally speaks
Three months on, Senzo Mchunu appears as the fourth witness before Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee. He argues he is finally getting his chance to explain himself: 'From the 6th of July, I am wearing General Mkhwanazi, from the 6th of July I am smelling General Mkhwanazi and this is the first opportunity I am getting to explain myself.'
"From the 6th of July, I am wearing General Mkhwanazi, from the 6th of July I am smelling General Mkhwanazi and this is the first opportunity I am getting to explain myself, and I am going to do justice to that."— Senzo Mchunu, SAPS Ad Hoc Committee, 16 October 2025 (eNCA)
One year later: from one briefing to a national inquiry
On the first anniversary of the briefing, eNCA and other outlets measure the distance travelled: a national commission with over 150 sitting days, a suspended Minister, a resigned anti-corruption chief, a murdered witness — and a policing reset still unfolding.
The tree
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