Cedrick Nkabinde, chief of staff to sidelined Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, admitted during parliamentary testimony that parts of his written statement were made up, sparking perjury accusations. The admission came amid scrutiny over his role in facilitating meetings between Mchunu and businessman Brown Mogotsi. The hearing is part of an investigation into alleged criminal infiltration in South Africa's law enforcement.
On 13 November 2025, Cedrick Nkabinde testified before Parliament's ad hoc committee investigating KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's July allegations of a drug trafficking cartel's infiltration into law enforcement, politics, and private security. Nkabinde, who has served as Mchunu's chief of staff since 2017, faced intense questioning over contradictions in his evidence regarding his interactions with ANC-aligned North West businessman Brown Mogotsi.
Nkabinde admitted, 'I was thumbsucking,' referring to fabricating details in his written statement submitted to the committee. This revelation emerged when MPs, including EFF leader Julius Malema, highlighted discrepancies in timelines. Nkabinde's written testimony claimed Mkhwanazi provided Mogotsi's phone number at the end of September 2024 while in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape. However, during oral testimony, he stated Mchunu asked him to facilitate a meeting in October or November 2024 and provided the number himself. MK Party's Sibonelo Nomvalo noted, 'There’s a lot of contradictions the witness is making.'
Nkabinde confirmed facilitating two meetings between Mchunu and Mogotsi. The first, in October or November 2024, occurred at Mchunu's official government residence in Pretoria and involved discussions on illegal mining operations in Stilfontein, with Mogotsi accompanied by four or five 'comrades.' A second meeting planned for January 2025 was cancelled. Initially, Nkabinde described the venue as Mchunu's private residence, but later corrected it to the Pretoria government house, drawing further skepticism.
Malema accused Nkabinde of perjury, stating, 'It’s perjury. It’s a lie. He needs to be arrested for lying to Parliament – lying under oath.' The EFF's Leigh Anne Matthys announced plans to open a perjury case. ActionSA's Dereleen James remarked, 'Mr Nkabinde, jy mors regtig ons tyd' (Mr Nkabinde, you are really wasting our time). Committee chair Soviet Lekganyane urged Nkabinde to reflect on morality, integrity, and constitutional values before returning.
Nkabinde's background includes starting as a detective in the South African Police Service in 2004, moving to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) under Robert McBride, and resigning in 2018 after a dispute involving a whistleblowing report. He met Mchunu in 2015 during an IPID probe into the murder of Mchunu's former bodyguard, Xolani Nkosi. Nkabinde described a close relationship with Mkhwanazi, including a 'boy’s trip' in early 2024 in Empangeni that led to introducing the two. This contrasts with Mkhwanazi's prior testimony portraying Nkabinde as a mere colleague.
The committee, which must complete its work by 28 November 2025 but has requested an extension, will next hear from violence researcher Professor Mary de Haas.