KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi gave final testimony to Parliament's ad hoc committee on 18 March 2026, declaring no peace with suspended deputy Shadrack Sibiya and accusing him of ties to criminal elements. He also questioned the trustworthiness of Lieutenant General Hilda Senthumule over a docket transfer. The committee, probing national security concerns from Mkhwanazi's July 2025 claims, now drafts its report.
Parliament's ad hoc committee investigating national security concerns concluded public hearings on 18 March 2026 with testimony from KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. He reiterated allegations from his July 2025 media briefing about a drug trafficking cartel infiltrating law enforcement and political circles, pointing to suspended Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya as a key figure. Mkhwanazi stated, “there can never be peace between me and Sibiya,” and claimed Sibiya's relationships with security, NPA, judiciary figures could enable control of the security cluster to “take over the country.” Sibiya denies wrongdoing and attributes tensions to a SAPS succession battle; he has been suspended since October 2025. Mkhwanazi wore a Special Task Force uniform during the briefing with National Commissioner Fannie Masemola's permission, citing a perceived “danger” and “takeover” threat. He also targeted Acting Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Hilda Senthumule, playing a recording he said showed her involvement in transferring 121 dockets from the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) in KwaZulu-Natal to Gauteng headquarters under Sibiya. The PKTT, focused on political assassinations and organised crime, was disbanded by then-Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on 31 December 2024 without consulting President Cyril Ramaphosa, who expressed dissatisfaction upon learning in February 2025. Mkhwanazi alleged Mchunu was “captured” by bad influences and new to policing, reiterated suspicions about Mchunu's ties to Cedrick Nkabinde as a possible cover-up from an IPID probe, and claimed Senthumule abused Crime Intelligence funds—he had initiated an investigation. Senthumule denied Sibiya's claims about funding her surgery and is pursuing charges against him. The parallel Madlanga Commission is also probing these issues. The committee must table its report by month's end.
