Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told Parliament his long-expired security clearance is being deliberately withheld, as he accused the police vetting office of corruption and interference.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, whose security clearance expired in 2018, has 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 made the remarks during what is expected to be his final appearance before Parliament’s ad hoc committee, where he has been responding to allegations against himself and the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
His testimony follows his explosive media briefing on July 6, 2025, which triggered the parliamentary inquiry into alleged corruption, political interference and institutional capture within the South African Police Service (SAPS).
During that briefing, Mkhwanazi implicated several senior officials, including Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who is currently on special leave, and suspended deputy national commissioner for crime detection, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya.
Mkhwanazi told the committee he still does not have security clearance.
This comes after controversial private investigator Paul O’Sullivan told the committee that the top cop does not have the security clearance.
“The answer is no, I still do not have one,” he said.
Evidence leader Advocate Bongiwe Mkhize asked when he last had clearance and what its current status was.
Mkhwanazi said his last top-secret clearance expired in 2018.
He had applied for renewal in 2013 through the State Security Agency (SSA).
“In the vetting process, you have to disclose everything - where you were born, where you grew up, your schooling, friends, family, bank accounts, assets and more,” he said.
He claimed the SSA completed its process, including a polygraph test, but did not issue clearance due to allegations raised by an Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) official in KwaZulu-Natal.
“I was told there was a case involving a so-called hit squad in 2013 in KwaZulu-Natal, in which I was implicated. At the time, I was working in Pretoria and had never worked in KwaZulu-Natal,” he said.
Mkhwanazi said he received no feedback on the matter.
A subsequent application to Crime Intelligence also remained unresolved as of 2022.
He alleged that further delays were caused by unverified claims, including media reports and cases he said he was never informed about.
“One allegation relates to a case investigated by IDAC. Another involves a case opened in Pretoria, where I was accused of interfering in an investigation involving (former acting national commissioner Khomotso) Phahlane and his wife,” he said.
He added that he was also named as a suspect in a hijacking case in Brooklyn, Pretoria, despite not being present.
“These allegations are used to justify not finalising my clearance. From what I know, I have no case. My name was simply included,” 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.
He further alleged that sensitive files had been compromised, referencing the investigation into Phahlane’s property, which he claimed originated from stolen documents.
“It is a dirty office,” he said.
“Parliament must ask how honest the vetting process is across the police and other institutions.”
Mkhize said that the issues appeared to date back to 2022 and asked whether anything could be done to resolve them.
Mkhwanazi responded that the delays were unjustified and suggested oversight bodies, including IPID, should account for their role.
Mkhize also asked whether he could access secret funds without security clearance, citing O’Sullivan’s statement.
Mkhwanazi dismissed the claim, saying he has no role in Crime Intelligence operations.
“I do not work in Crime Intelligence. I have zero involvement with the secret fund,” he said.
He added that even during his acting tenure from 2011 to 2012, he had minimal interaction with the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence.
“It was never my role. The head of intelligence is responsible for that function,” he said.
The the committee continues.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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