Former acting South African Police Service commissioner Khomotso Phahlane testified before Parliament's ad hoc committee on January 14, 2026, claiming political interference in policing escalated after the ANC's 2007 Polokwane conference. He accused figures like Robert McBride and Paul O'Sullivan of orchestrating a media campaign to discredit him. The testimony relates to allegations of cartel infiltration in the justice system raised by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Khomotso Phahlane, who served as acting national police commissioner from 2015 to 2017, appeared before Parliament's ad hoc committee in Cape Town on January 14, 2026. The committee is probing claims by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, made in a July 2025 media briefing, of criminal infiltration, corruption, and political meddling in South Africa's justice system.
Phahlane stated that political interference in the South African Police Service (SAPS) intensified following the ANC's 52nd national conference in Polokwane in 2007, where Jacob Zuma was elected party president. 'We must not shy away,' Phahlane said. 'Political interference in the South African Police Service became more prevalent following the 2007 Polokwane conference.' He linked this to a period of state capture during Zuma's presidency from 2009 to 2018, when law-enforcement institutions were weakened.
In his affidavit, Phahlane noted that post-2007, some officers with anti-apartheid credentials showed loyalty to political leaders, harming discipline and leading to the purging of senior managers from key roles. He commended Mkhwanazi for publicizing these issues on July 6, 2025, after prior unaddressed parliamentary mentions.
Phahlane defended his tenure, denying corruption in a 2014 R92-million tender to Ethemba Forensic Group for police cameras, which resulted in a R24-million settlement after no order was placed. He claimed the provider failed bidding specifications and insisted he would never waste public funds. Dismissed in 2020, Phahlane called his removal unlawful and awaits a Labour Court appeal outcome.
He accused former Independent Police Investigative Directorate head Robert McBride and investigator Paul O'Sullivan of a 'sustained campaign' against him via media, naming journalists Marianne Thamm, the late Karima Brown, Abraham Mashego, and Barry Bateman as involved. Phahlane also referenced his 2019 arrest in the unresolved 'blue lights' case over a fraudulent 2016 emergency equipment tender.
The hearings, which ran from morning into evening, focused partly on Phahlane's past amid calls to stick to the committee's terms. Upcoming witnesses include Crime Intelligence boss Dumisani Khumalo and McBride. The committee aims to finalize its report by February 20, 2025, parallel to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
