Good cop, bad cop: The rise of Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi in the SAPS

KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is well-known for his no-nonsense approach and taking action against the rot in the SAPS.

KZN Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Image: Screenshot via YouTube (SABC News)

Strict, determined, and highly disciplined. These are some words used to describe KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Sibusiso Mkhwanazi.

“I want the police environment to have clean cops. If we want to fight crime, we must rid the SAPS of criminals and stay with clean cops,” this is what a then 38-year-old acting national police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told the Sunday Independent after suspending corrupt spy boss Richard Mdluli in 2012.

Suspending Mdluli was inarguably one of Mkhwanazi’s ways to prove he was serious about taking action against the rot in the SAPS – which South Africans do not have much confidence in – and stamping his authority.

Fast forward to 2024, Mkhwanazi – who is now a seasoned police commissioner in KwaZulu-Natal – has been hailed for the thorough investigation that led to the arrest of seven suspects for the murder of award-winning rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane.

The two were shot dead on 10 February 2023 on Florida Road in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

NHLANHLA MKHWANAZI’S BACKGROUND

Born in Edendale, a township in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, famous for the notorious violence before the dawn of democracy in 1994, Mkhwanazi joined the SAPS in 1993.

His initial deployment was in Public Order Policing, where he managed the Public Order Police responsibilities within the SAPS. Since then, he has been through all the levels and ranks and has successfully served in different management positions within the police service.

• Mkhwanazi holds a National Diploma and a BA Degree in policing. He has also been awarded certificates for qualifying for the supervisor’s role in counterterrorism investigations from the USA, bomb disposal from the Republic of South Africa, and crisis response teams from the USA.
• In 2005, he was appointed head of the Special Task Force for his outstanding performance and expertise. This branch of the SAPS manages all specialised operational sections, such as the National Air Wing, National Intervention Unit, and the presentation of Special Task Force training.
• The Special Task Force is the SAPS’s highest specialised operations task team. Heading it calls for special skills, knowledge, and intelligence.
• In October 2011, he was appointed by former president Jacob Zuma as acting national police commissioner. He replaced Bheki Cele, who was suspended and eventually fired for meddling in the R1.78 billion police headquarters lease deal.
• In December 2018, Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi was appointed as the head of police in KwaZulu-Natal.

NO-NONSENSE APPROACH

In 2023, Mkhwanazi spoke out against police officers doing grocery shopping in full uniform. He called for the public to take pictures and report the men and women in blue if they spotted them at shopping malls using State vehicles.

Over and above that, in 2022, Mkhwanazi called for the sale of alcohol to be banned in townships and rural areas. The sentiment came after 21 people were killed in separate tavern shootings in the province.

During the infamous July unrest in 2021, Mkhwanazi spoke out against politicians who wanted to interfere with police operations.

MKHWANAZI’S CONTROVERSIES

Despite being praised by many as a breath of fresh air and a cop who restores confidence in the SAPS, some have called for Mkhwanazi’s head to roll.

In 2012, the Democratic Alliance wanted the KZN police commissioner to be sacked immediately.

The party said he confessed to a group of SAPS members on 5 March 2012 that he was part of a group within SAPS that had killed an innocent man and that he had refused to provide a statement to that effect.

Furthermore, the party alleged that Mkhwanazi personally stepped in and stopped an investigation into the misappropriation of millions, if not billions, of rands of the Crime Intelligence Secret Fund.

It is unclear whether there was a probe against Mkhwanazi as the DA had obtained affidavits it planned to submit to the public protector.