A judicial commission set up by South Africa’s president to investigate explosive claims by a top cop linking politicians to criminal gangs began its public hearings on Wednesday, weeks after a delayed start.
Africa’s most industrialised nation is plagued by deep-rooted crime and corruption, fuelled by organised networks.
In July, provincial police chief Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused police minister Senzo Mchunu and other senior officials of obstructing investigations into the cases, including politically motivated murders.
The allegations led President Cyril Ramaphosa to suspend Mchunu and announce the three-member commission, chaired by a former Constitutional Court judge.
Mkhwanazi, a prominent lieutenant general with more than three decades of service, was the first to testify before the panel in the capital Pretoria.
“It has been my aim that I want to demonstrate that the criminal justice system has been subject to a continuous threat as well as sabotage, which has been with us over an extended period,” he said.
“We believe it is at a real risk of a total collapse if nothing is done,” he added.
The panel’s interim report is expected within three months.
The commission has nonetheless come under criticism over doubts it will manage to drive tangible action, as its findings are non-binding and its recommendations depend solely on the president’s discretion.
Mkhwanazi claimed that Mchunu received payments from businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who is facing charges of murder and money laundering. A court denied Matlala bail on Wednesday in that case.
Mkhwanazi also accused the minister of having played a role in dismantling a team investigating killings to shield politically connected people.
Mchunu has rejected the allegations and is expected to testify before the commission.
The 67-year-old politician had been suggested by local media as a potential candidate from the centrist faction of the ruling African National Congress to succeed to Ramaphosa.
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