CAPE TOWN, 21 October 2025– Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has reaffirmed that he only knows North West political figure Brown Mogotsi as a comrade, not as a personal associate.
Mchunu made the clarification on Tuesday during his continued testimony before Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating alleged political interference within the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The minister urged the committee to review his previous statements before Parliament’s police committee in March, where he denied having any close relationship with Mogotsi.
Evidence leader Norman Arendse questioned Mchunu about his affidavit, in which he cautioned against assumptions made by those claiming to know him. Responding, Mchunu explained that there is a clear distinction between knowing someone as a political comrade and having a personal relationship with them.
“I did not lie before the committee in March,” Mchunu said. “What complicated matters, in my view, is that when General Mkhwanazi made his statement on 6 July, he told the public something twisted. He said Minister Mchunu claimed he doesn’t know Brown Mogotsi in Parliament, which I never said.”
Mchunu added that he has known Mogotsi since 2017 through political circles but has no knowledge of his personal life. “I’ve never asked if he’s married, never been to his home, and never discussed his employment. Our conversations have been occasional and limited to general matters,” he stated.
The inquiry continues to hear evidence from various witnesses as it examines claims of political interference in the SAPS. Mchunu’s testimony forms part of a broader investigation into the relationship between politics and policing in South Africa.
