Ongoing inquiries into scandals within South Africa's police and intelligence agencies highlight the urgent need for a complete overhaul of the security apparatus. Experts argue that the deep-rooted corruption reflects the ruling ANC's issues and requires breaking political ties to appointments. As political changes loom, redesigning these institutions could better address modern threats like violent crime and cyberattacks.
Recent commissions and investigations have exposed pervasive corruption in South Africa's security sector, prompting calls for radical reform. The Madlanga Commission, which began hearings in Pretoria on 17 September, and a parliamentary ad hoc committee are probing allegations from Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi against suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, including his contacts with known violent criminals.
Testimony has revealed shocking abuses of power. A State Security Agency employee was ordered to withdraw millions of rands in cash for former minister David Mahlobo, who has returned to government under a president promising renewal. Suspended Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant General Daphney Manamela demanded gifts from stations she visited, while SANDF Major General Edward Mulaudzi used a military truck to travel 1,200 km to remove tree stumps from his home.
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola testified that disagreeing with Mchunu's illegal order to close the Political Killings Task Team would have been "career-limiting." Professor William Gumede, writing in the Sunday Times, advocates shutting down the entire intelligence apparatus and involving an outsider to rebuild it, citing precedents like Colombia's dissolution of its corrupt agency and post-apartheid transitions in South Africa and Germany.
Reformers emphasize severing political influence over appointments to ensure merit and integrity. Current leaders like Bheki Cele and Jackie Selebi rose through ANC ties, but future heads should be apolitical. With the ANC's dominance waning, institutions must tackle rising threats including drug and weapons trafficking, non-state actors, and cyberattacks. However, parties like the ANC, MK Party via Jacob Zuma, and EFF through Julius Malema's links to SAPS Major General Feroz Khan may resist change, underscoring the need for public advocacy.