SACP’s Solly Mapaila slams political interference in SAPS, backs judicial inquiry

SA Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Solly Mapaila says it is “unacceptable” for public office bearers to interfere in operational matters, including police investigations, saying that politicians should stop meddling in police operations.

He said as he threw the party’s full support behind a judicial commission of inquiry into serious allegations made by KZN police boss, Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Mapaila made the remarks during a media briefing in Johannesburg on Sunday, as the party concluded the final day of its three-day Central Committee plenary.

“On the fight against corruption and crime, including gender-based violence, we want to start by acknowledging the resilience of South African women, especially as we close Women’s Month – a month commemorating the heroic women who defied the apartheid regime in their struggle for freedom,” Mapaila said.

However, he said that women in South Africa remain oppressed under a patriarchal system that upholds unequal power relations between men and women.

“We pay tribute to their resilience and stand with them in their ongoing struggle. Our women are most affected by gender-based violence and femicide. In this context, the fight against crime and corruption in South Africa is extremely urgent,” he said.

Mapaila expressed deep concern over the country’s worsening crime levels and the alleged complicity of some state officials in organised crime networks. 

He strongly backed the establishment of a judicial commission to investigate allegations raised by Mkhwanazi. He described him as a “brave warrior of our country.”

In July, Mkhwanazi accused the now-suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of political interference in police operations. 

These included allegedly instructing the disbandment of the high-profile Political Killings Task Team and removing 121 politically sensitive dockets. 

He also accused suspended Deputy National Commissioner Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya of interfering by holding the dockets in his Pretoria office.

Mkhwanazi further alleged that Mchunu was protecting individuals implicated in politically motivated crimes.

“While we reject claims that workers’ wage demands cause unemployment, we fully support the judicial commission of inquiry into the allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi,” said Mapaila.

He said that the inquiry must not become a smokescreen but must result in a systemic overhaul of the country’s law enforcement system. 

“It is unacceptable for public office bearers to interfere in operational matters, including investigations,” he added.

Mapaila welcomed the decision by National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola to return the 121 dockets to KwaZulu-Natal. 

These case files are central to Mkhwanazi’s claims of political interference.

“The SACP welcomes the announcement made by General Masemola at the 27th Interpol African Regional Conference on August 28, confirming the return of the dockets to the Political Killings Task Team in KwaZulu-Natal,” he said.

Masemola said that the dockets would now be processed locally to allow investigators to resume their work. 

However, the move has sparked criticism from acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia.

Cachalia, appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to restore integrity within SAPS, raised concerns over the timing of the decision. 

He said the dockets were returned before the commission of inquiry could begin its investigation, calling it “deeply concerning.”

On Friday, August 29, Cachalia publicly said that he had requested a full report on the Task Team from Masemola, but was still awaiting a response.

Cachalia’s spokesperson, Kamogelo Mogotsi, previously told IOL News that Cachalia’s concerns fall within his constitutional mandate and that he has no intention of obstructing investigations. 

“His concern is that the dockets were returned without a clear plan and before the commission has had a chance to do its work,” Mogotsi told IOL News.

Despite this, some political parties, including the EFF and the MK Party, accused Cachalia of engaging in the same kind of political interference alleged against Mchunu.

Ealier, IOL News reported that President Ramaphosa was reportedly upset with Masemola’s decision to return the dockets, particularly ahead of the judicial inquiry. 

According to City Press, Ramaphosa is said to have contacted Cachalia to express concern over whether the decision could undermine the integrity of the commission.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed that Ramaphosa had spoken to Cachalia on the matter. 

He said while the return of the dockets may appear administrative, “this is no ordinary matter,” as the files are now subject to the commission’s investigation.

“The President expects SAPS leadership to cooperate fully with the minister and the commission to protect the integrity of the process,” Magwenya told the publication.

Meanwhile, Mapaila said the SACP has long called for an investigation into political interference in policing, but those calls were previously ignored.

He called for urgent reforms, including the transformation and full resourcing of the criminal justice system. 

“All office bearers, officials and officers in law enforcement must be held stringently accountable for failures and corruption,” he said.

He also reiterated the party’s call for forensic audits to expose state capture and criminal collusion within government departments.

Mapaila claimed that the extent of gender-based violence, citing police statistics showing nearly 1,000 women were murdered and over 9,000 raped between January and March 2025. 

He blamed the figures on systemic inequality, capitalist exploitation, and weakened state capacity.

“The crime epidemic is inseparable from the neoliberal assault on public institutions, which has weakened the state and left communities unprotected,” he said.

Mapaila said organised crime syndicates, including illegal mining operations and extortion rackets, continue to terrorise communities – especially those in working-class areas.

“The SACP calls for mass mobilisation to end this scourge and demands a state response that is immediate, effective, and uncompromising,” he said.

The Political Killings Task Team was established in 2019 in response to the findings of the Moerane Commission, which investigated political violence in KwaZulu-Natal. 

Ramaphosa announced the formation of a judicial commission of inquiry in July 2025 to probe Mkhwanazi’s allegations and assess the handling of politically sensitive investigations.

Masemola has since indicated that SAPS intends to establish a similar unit in Gauteng to address politically motivated crimes.

IOL Politics