Police minister Senzo Mchunu said he is ready to testify at the Madlanga Commission investigating political interference in law enforcement but remains uncertain about when he will be called.
The minister on special leave spoke Saturday at a memorial event in KwaZulu-Natal while visiting the home of late ambassador to France Nathi Mthethwa.
Mchunu said he was ready to present his side of the story and was not shaken by evidence implicating him. “I am glad that I will get an opportunity to present my side of the story in the commission,” Mchunu told reporters.
The Political Killings Task Team was disbanded in December 2024. Witnesses including national police commissioner Fannie Masemola and crime intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo have accused Mchunu of interfering in police operations.
Khumalo disclosed WhatsApp messages linking Brown Mogotsi with businessman Vusimuzi Matlala. The messages allegedly revealed efforts to infiltrate the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, payments to politicians and access to the police minister.
The African National Congress confirmed Friday that Mogotsi’s membership has expired. “Brown Mogotsi is not a member of the ANC,” Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said Thursday.
Mbalula stated the party will never associate itself with Mogotsi. “We will never associate ourselves with characters like Brown Mogotsi. If he is a member of the ANC, he must account for his activities,” he said.
Mchunu initially denied knowing Mogotsi when appearing before Parliament in March. Four months later, Mchunu released a statement admitting he knew Mogotsi as a comrade rather than an associate.
President Cyril Ramaphosa placed Mchunu on special leave in July 2025 following accusations by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu of political interference including the abrupt end to the task team investigating assassinations.
Major-General Petronella van Rooyen testified that Mchunu unlawfully strayed into the constitutional competence of the national commissioner when disbanding the task team. “The minister unlawfully strayed into the constitutional competence of the national commissioner when he issued the letter for the disbandment,” van Rooyen told the commission.
Masemola testified that Mchunu believed there had been no political killings in South Africa since 1994. The commissioner said political killings were happening after 1994 and continue to happen.
The Madlanga Commission was established by Ramaphosa in July 2025 and began hearings in September. Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga chairs the inquiry responding to fears of South Africa becoming a mafia state.
Mogotsi and Matlala have been implicated by the Special Investigating Unit in the looting of billions through Tembisa Hospital tenders. Matlala is currently behind bars for attempted murder of his former girlfriend.
The commission continues to investigate alleged syndicate infiltration and corruption in the justice system. Multiple witnesses have provided testimony over three weeks of hearings in Pretoria.
