Crime: Possible police scandal in South Africa: Minister suspended

After allegations to corruption and connections to organized crimes against the police and the judiciary in South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa suspended his Minister of Police and announced an investigation. In a statement, Ramaphosa reported serious accusations of the existence of a criminal cartel that is said to have infiltrated law enforcement and intelligence structures in the country.

With a view to the Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu, the President said that he was accused of interfering in delicate police investigations and cooperating with business people, including a murdered person. According to the President, the provincial commissioner of the South African police service in Kwazulu-Natal claims to have exposed a group of politicians, public prosecutors, police officers, judges and prison officers controlled by a drug cartel.

Investigation committee is supposed to pursue allegations

He would take care of the Minister Mchunu with immediate effect, says Ramaphosa. Professor Firoz Cachalia should be his successor from August. The accusations required an urgent and comprehensive investigation that he would set up a judicial investigation commission, the president announced. This is intended to investigate the allegations to infiltrate law enforcement agencies, intelligence services and the associated institutions of the criminal law system by criminal groups.

Mchunu welcomed the examination in a statement on the X platform and secured his cooperation.

The country at the southern tip of Africa has to deal with high crime and profound corruption. At the beginning of his second term around a year ago, Ramaphosa declared a priority to combat poverty, unemployment and crime as well as the stop of corruption and exploitation of the state.