Sidelined Police Minister Senzo Mchunu referenced an affidavit from organised crime accused Vusimuzi Matlala to assert they have never met, during a parliamentary hearing on 21 October 2025. The move drew criticism from EFF leader Julius Malema, who questioned Mchunu's association with the detainee. The testimony is part of an inquiry into alleged criminal infiltration in South African law enforcement and politics.
On 21 October 2025, Senzo Mchunu resumed his testimony before Parliament's ad hoc committee, which is probing accusations of a drug cartel's infiltration into policing and politics. The committee's work parallels the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, both sparked by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's July press conference. Mkhwanazi alleged that Matlala, a member of the alleged Big Five drug cartel facing attempted murder and money laundering charges, financially backed Mchunu's ambitions through businessman Brown Mogotsi, who acted as a middleman.
Mchunu denied any relationship with Matlala, stating, “I have never met Matlala… I have never seen him [with] my naked eye.” He cited a September 2025 affidavit from Matlala, signed in C-Max prison, affirming they did not know each other. Mchunu obtained it through his lawyers, whom he had instructed to secure it. However, EFF leader Julius Malema challenged this, asking, “Why would you want to associate with such a character?” and describing Matlala as “a dangerous man.” Malema highlighted a perceived contradiction in Mchunu's account of acquiring the affidavit.
The hearing also addressed Mchunu's decision to disband the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) at the end of 2024, which he justified on budget grounds and to avoid duplicating operations. He admitted not informing President Cyril Ramaphosa beforehand and insisted the action was constitutional, disagreeing with SAPS official Major General Petronella van Rooyen's testimony that it usurped National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola's powers. Mchunu described his ties to Mogotsi, known since 2017, as limited to ANC matters, calling him a “comrade” rather than an associate, and accused Mkhwanazi of twisting his words from a March 2025 parliamentary meeting.
Mchunu's chief of staff, Cedric Nkabinde, was referenced in relation to a 2017 Independent Police Investigative Directorate probe into the 2015 murder of Mchunu's bodyguard, Xolani Nkosi. Mchunu felt threatened by Mkhwanazi based on Nkabinde's report of a conversation, though an audio clip played did not capture any threat. The DA's Glynnis Breytenbach pressed Mchunu on police corruption, to which he responded that reform agreements might be needed. Hearings continue, with former minister Bheki Cele scheduled for Thursday.
Mchunu remains on special leave since July amid these allegations.