KwaZulu-Natal police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers
KwaZulu‑Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has accused the South African Police Service (SAPS) vetting office of corruption and deliberate obstruction, calling it a “dirty” operation that is holding back his long-expired security clearance. He told Parliament, yesterday, he would fire the entire vetting unit, starting with its head, Major-General Feroz Khan, if he had the power.
Mkhwanazi, whose top-secret clearance expired in 2018, made the remarks during what is expected to be his final appearance before Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations against him and the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
“The answer is no, I still do not have one,” Mkhwanazi said when asked about his current security clearance, referencing testimony from private investigator Paul O’Sullivan confirming the issue.
He said his last clearance expired in 2018, despite applying for renewal in 2013 through the State Security Agency (SSA). “In the vetting process, you have to disclose everything - where you were born, where you grew up, your schooling, friends, family, bank accounts, assets and more,” he said.
Mkhwanazi alleged that the SSA completed its process, including a polygraph test, but did not issue clearance due to allegations raised by an Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) official in KwaZulu-Natal. “I was told there was a case involving a so-called hit squad in 2013 in KwaZulu-Natal, in which I was implicated. At the time, I was working in Pretoria and had never worked in KwaZulu-Natal,” he said.
He said he received no feedback on the matter, and that subsequent applications to Crime Intelligence remained unresolved as of 2022. He also accused the vetting unit of using unverified claims, media reports, and unrelated cases to justify delaying his clearance. “One allegation relates to a case investigated by IDAC. Another involves a case opened in Pretoria, where I was accused of interfering in an investigation involving (former acting national commissioner Khomotso) Phahlane and his wife,” he said.
He added that he was even named as a suspect in a hijacking case in Brooklyn, Pretoria, despite not being present. “These allegations are used to justify not finalising my clearance. From what I know, I have no case. My name was simply included,” Mkhwanazi said.
On the vetting section under Khan, he said: “If I were in charge, I would remove everyone in that section, starting with Khan. It is a dirty office. Parliament must ask how honest the vetting process is across the police and other institutions.”
When asked by evidence leader Advocate Bongiwe Mkhize if anything could resolve the delays, Mkhwanazi said the holdup was unjustified and suggested oversight bodies, including IPID, should account for their role.
On questions about secret Crime Intelligence funds, he clarified: “I do not work in Crime Intelligence. I have zero involvement with the secret fund. It was never my role. The head of intelligence is responsible for that function,” even during his acting tenure from 2011 to 2012.
The ad hoc committee continues its hearings.
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