Senzo Mchunu

Edward Senzo Mchunu (born 21 April 1958) is a South African ANC politician who served as Minister of Police from 30 June 2024 until his suspension on 13 July 2025. A teacher by training, he was the inaugural Provincial Secretary of the ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal branch after its establishment in 1994 and a founding figure of the party’s KZN structures. He served as MEC for Education in KZN (2009–2013), then as Premier of KwaZulu-Natal (2011–2019) — the longest-serving KZN Premier of the democratic era. After leaving the premiership he served as national Cabinet minister: Minister of Water and Sanitation (2019–2021) and Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (2021–2024). He was appointed Minister of Police on 30 June 2024 as part of the GNU Cabinet following the ANC’s loss of its parliamentary majority.

The central allegation against Mchunu is that on 30 December 2024 he ordered the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) — the specialised KZN unit established to investigate politically motivated murders, including those linked to the Big Five cartel network. KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi testified before the Madlanga Commission in September 2025 that the disbandment was unlawful: the PKTT fell under the National Police Commissioner’s operational control, not the minister’s. A signed letter issued by Mchunu ordering the disbandment was submitted to the Commission as evidence, alongside WhatsApp communications. Major General Petronella van Rooyen confirmed that Mchunu had overstepped his constitutional authority and that the disbandment undermined ongoing criminal investigations — investigations that implicated suspects believed to be connected to Mchunu’s political network.

The deepest allegation concerns Mchunu’s relationship with Vusimuzi Matlala (“Cat”), identified by the Madlanga Commission as the Big Five cartel’s “chairman.” Crime Intelligence head Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo testified on 29 September 2025 that Matlala was funding delegates supporting Mchunu at ANC events, effectively making the cartel a financial backer of Mchunu’s internal ANC faction. The conduit was Brown Mogotsi, identified as Mchunu’s associate: Mogotsi was alleged to have leaked classified SAPS information to Matlala and used his ministerial access to manipulate SAPS processes to frustrate criminal investigations into Matlala. When questioned in Parliament, Mchunu denied knowing Mogotsi. He subsequently admitted knowing him as a “comrade.” President Ramaphosa suspended Mchunu on 13 July 2025, citing the Madlanga Commission’s need to investigate without a sitting minister in place. Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia was appointed. No criminal charges had been filed against Mchunu by April 2026; the Commission’s findings were still in progress.

Connections

• Madlanga Commission — central figure; PKTT disbandment the triggering event for the commission’s focus on political interference in policing
• Vusimuzi Matlala — Big Five cartel “chairman”; alleged to have funded Mchunu’s ANC delegates; direct cartel-to-minister financial link
• Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi — KZN Police Commissioner; filed criminal complaint against Mchunu; primary whistleblower at Madlanga Commission
• Big Five cartel — Mchunu’s PKTT disbandment directly benefited suspects the task team was investigating
• Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) — disbanded by signed Mchunu letter December 30, 2024; disbandment found unlawful
• Dumisani Khumalo — Crime Intelligence head; testified on Matlala/Mogotsi/Mchunu funding network
• ANC Deployment Committee — Mchunu’s ministerial appointment via ANC deployment logic; his factional position within ANC structures is the context for Matlala’s alleged investment
• National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) — no charges filed as of April 2026; Madlanga Commission findings will feed into NPA prosecution pipeline

Sources

• Wikipedia: Senzo Mchunu
• Daily Maverick — Madlanga Commission PKTT testimony (September 2025)
• IOL — Crime Intelligence boss links Mchunu allies to Big 5 Cartel (September 2025)
• Parliamentary Monitoring Group — Mchunu testimony before Mkhwanazi Ad Hoc Committee