South Africa is reeling from explosive allegations that Police Minister Bheki Mchunu has links to criminal gangs. The accusations were made by KwaZulu-Natal police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi during a press briefing on Sunday, sending shockwaves through the nation and prompting a high-level response from President Cyril Ramaphosa.

According to RNG247 reporter, Gen. Mkhwanazi alleges that Mchunu is receiving financial support from an allegedly corrupt businessman to fund his "political endeavors." Mchunu has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them "wild." President Ramaphosa has acknowledged the severity of the claims, stating they are of "grave national security concern" and are "receiving the highest priority attention."

Gen. Mkhwanazi detailed a series of events that he claims led to the "orchestrated" disbandment of a task force established in 2018 to investigate the killings of politicians, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal. According to Mkhwanazi, the team's investigations had uncovered links to high-profile individuals, including politicians, police officials, and businesspeople tied to a drug cartel syndicate. He believes this discovery is the true reason for the team's disbandment.

Earlier this year, Mchunu justified dissolving the unit by claiming it was not adding value in the province, despite numerous unsolved cases.

Further fueling the controversy, Gen. Mkhwanazi alleges that 121 case files were removed from the unit on Mchunu's instruction and without the authorization of the national police commissioner, General Fannie Masemola. "These case dockets have been sitting at the head office since March without any investigation work being done on them. Five of these dockets already had instructions to [effect] arrests," Mkhwanazi stated.

The provincial police chief further alleges that Mchunu has ties to a controversial businessman, Vusimuzi Matlala, who was "financially supporting" the minister's political career. Matlala had a lucrative contract with the police, which was abruptly canceled when he was arrested for attempted murder in May. Gen. Mkhwanazi presented copies of text messages and a payment allegedly made by Matlala as evidence.

General Masemola has stated that he will address these allegations later in the week when he announces the appointment of the temporary crime intelligence boss. The previous criminal intelligence chief, Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, was arrested last month on fraud and corruption allegations. Khumalo and six others have been linked to an ongoing investigation into the alleged abuse of intelligence funds and potentially unlawful appointments within the South African Police Service (SAPS).