Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is set to spearhead a national offensive against high-level crime syndicates.
Image: Facebook/SAPS
In a move that signals a concerted push to dismantle organised crime networks across South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has been appointed to a national oversight role on matters of high-level crime.
The announcement confirms that Mkhwanazi will maintain his command in KZN while taking on a strategic role to coordinate a unified national response.
The appointment follows a directive for a new national strategy that integrates various police disciplines—including intelligence, detectives, and combat units—under a single command structure. Mkhwanazi likened the scale of the task to tackling a "big elephant", emphasising that the team will take it "bit by bit."
"The National Commissioner has identified me to play a role in that strategy of fighting organised crime," Mkhwanazi said.
"I will have to, while having the responsibility of the province, do an oversight role of the work that has to be done at the national level."
He revealed that the national team is already operational. "I was in Pretoria for a few days this week, and next week I’ll be back in Pretoria and then Cape Town. The work has already started." A specialised team in Pretoria has already begun the analysis of dockets to prioritise targets. The scope of the work is extensive, focusing on:
A critical component of Mkhwanazi’s national oversight is the implementation of a counter-intelligence framework to monitor the task team members themselves.
"What we’ve seen a lot is that members are left sometimes to run on their own, and that’s why they’re getting corrupted easily," Mkhwanazi stated.
Under the new "one command" structure, a system of mutual accountability will be enforced. "Everyone’s going to be checking everyone under the task team."
The appointment comes shortly after the five-year extension of Mkhwanazi's contract as KZN provincial commissioner.
While his move to a national role has sparked massive interest—particularly given the ongoing revelations at the Madlanga Commission—Mkhwanazi assured the province that he will prioritise his local responsibilities.
"I will continue to work in the province, but I will be moving around and not necessarily based in KZN all the time," he explained. "As time progresses, we'll see how feasible it is to do both."
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