Madlanga Commission | Gopaul accuses Mchunu of abusing police power for ANC interests
KZN Acting Deputy Provincial Commissioner, Major-General Anthony Gopaul, has testified at the Madlanga Commission on Monday.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
KwaZulu-Natal's acting deputy commissioner, Maj-Gen. Anthony Gopaul, has told the Madlanga Commission that suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu unlawfully interfered in the investigation into the murder of ANC councillor Phendukani Mabhida, in a way that seemed to push the ANC's interest.
Gopaul’s testimony on Monday placed Mchunu at the centre of a controversial intervention in a politically sensitive murder investigation, raising serious questions about the abuse of ministerial authority and the blurring of lines between party interests and law enforcement.
Mabhida, an ANC councillor from Mandeni, was killed in February 2025.
His murder was taken up by the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), a specialised unit established to investigate politically motivated assassinations across KZN.
Gopaul told the commission that on February 5, Mchunu phoned him to question why the case was being handled by the PKTT rather than the local police station.
“I received a call from the Minister on February 5… I did brief the Minister, and I did say to the Minister what had transpired in the incident of the murder of Mabhida,” Gopaul testified.
At the time, Mchunu was in KwaDukuza campaigning for the ANC.
Gopaul said the minister’s inquiries were not focused on broader crime trends or investigative progress, but rather on alleged complaints against local politician Doeshiee Govender and his family — a focus Gopaul found troubling.
He told the commission that Mchunu appeared concerned about Govender’s political standing in the ward, particularly after Govender defected from the ANC to the MK Party (MKP).
According to Gopaul, Mchunu’s interest in the case only emerged after the defection, fuelling concerns that the intervention was politically motivated.
Gopaul further revealed that Mchunu went to a police station to ask why officers were not taking action against Govender.
“I tried to explain to the Minister that when it comes to political killings, the team that is investigating these kinds of murders is better equipped and trained,” he said, defending the PKTT’s involvement.
He added that the unit was better positioned to identify patterns, link cases across districts, and understand the modus operandi of hitmen involved in political assassinations.
“It was a bit odd that one would take that extent of intervention at the police station,” Gopaul told the commission.
He also questioned the sudden shift in community sentiment against Govender, describing it as “uncomfortable”, particularly given that Govender had previously won elections by a landslide.
Gopaul stressed that Mchunu never clearly explained his personal interest in the murder investigation and said it was inappropriate for the minister to contact him directly. “It was not in keeping with protocol,” he said.
Gopaul has concluded his testimony, and the next witness is Witness E.
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