SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s (MK Party) Thulani Shongwe has said that he would agree with the SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, when he said that he would remove every SAPS general, and start afresh.
Shongwe was speaking on the sidelines of Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, where he returned to answer questions raised during oral proceedings.
On Wednesday, Mkhwanazi, whose security clearance expired in 2018, said if he had powers, he was going to dismiss the entire vetting unit officials, starting with head Major-General Feroz Khan, adding that the office is “dirty”.
Mkhwanazi told the committee he still does not have security clearance. This comes after controversial private investigator Paul O’Sullivan told the committee that Mkhwanazi does not have the security clearance.
“The answer is no, I still do not have one,” he said.
Mkhwanazi accused the vetting section, under Khan, of deliberately obstructing the process.
“If I were in charge, I would remove everyone in that section, starting with Khan,” he said.
Speaking on the sidelines of Wednesday’s proceedings, Shongwe said that he found the demeanour of “ubaba Mkhwanazi, this time around, is more confident, bringing facts that are more thorough and entirely scrutinised”.
“If you look at the matter of Bheki Cele, where he withdrew some of his previous statement. He thoroughly says and clearly says what happened, how it happened, and the time - everything in detail.
“If you look at the demeanour of the others compared to him. You easily find where the truth is, and you understand where to look and what to look at,” Shongwe said.
“I think I'm more confident in Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi’s statement, especially today, more than ever. Today, he’s got more facts. Unlike on the 6th of July, when he was pinpointing (things), but today he's giving us more details and the lies that were perpetrated by people who are trying to discredit him.”
uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s Members of Parliament, Thulani Shongwe, and Sibonelo Nomvalo.
Image: Parliament RSA / Supplied
Shongwe added that he agreed with Mkhwanazi’s sentiment of starting afresh when it comes to SAPS officials.
“You see that, when he says he would remove every general that is there to start afresh. I honestly agree with him. I would do the same to restart. Vet everybody. Make sure that we check all, audit their own lifestyles, so that we can understand whether we have credible people there or not,” Shongwe said.
theolin.tembo@inl.co.za