Mchunu’s chief of staff details ‘friendship’ with Mkhwanazi
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s chief of staff, Cedric Nkabinde, has opened up about his alleged friendship with KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Nkabinde appeared before parliament’s ad hoc committee inquiry in Cape Town on Thursday, which is investigating claims of political interference, corruption, and criminal misconduct within the justice system.
The police ministry official, whose home was raided by law enforcement in early October during a search-and-seizure operation, has been implicated by several witnesses.
He is accused of facilitating meetings between Mchunu and controversial individuals, including Oupa “Brown” Mogotsi.
Nkabinde’s alleged involvement in the “disbandment” of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) also came under the spotlight.
Nkabinde’s appointment as Mchunu chief of staff and career
During his testimony, Nkabinde confirmed that he was appointed as Mchunu’s Chief of Staff in August 2024 for a five-year term.
He explained that Mchunu had the discretion to select his own chief of staff and chose him for the role.
The HR department subsequently handled the vetting process.
“The minister does not get involved in that process,” Nkabinde said, adding that he had met all the necessary requirements.
He revealed that he has since been redeployed to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (Psira), an entity under the police ministry.
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A former member of both the South African Police Service (Saps) and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), Nkabinde testified that he holds a diploma in policing, a BTech in policing, and a basic training certificate.
He joined Saps as a detective constable in 2004 and later moved to Ipid in 2010, where he was promoted to captain before resigning in September 2018.
“Subsequently, in 2012, I was promoted as an assistant director, which is a position I held until I left.”
After leaving Ipid, he worked in the private sector until his appointment as Mchunu’s chief of staff.
Nkabinde confirmed that he had been unemployed following his resignation from Ipid and only secured a job at a private security firm in November 2018 — with assistance from Mkhwanazi.
“That’s what friends are for, as he was my friend.”
Suspension from Ipid
Nkabinde revealed that before resigning from Ipid, he had been suspended in May 2018 following what he described as a “misunderstanding” with then-Ipid executive director Robert McBride.
He said he had “blew the whistle” by submitting a report to former police minister Bheki Cele in April 2018 implicating McBride and private forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan.
The report later reached McBride’s hands in May.
“Mr McBride got so upset with me and suspended me immediately.”
He testified that his disciplinary hearing was set for 19 September, but before it began, McBride arrived and spoke at length with Ipid’s legal team.
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McBride then proposed a settlement agreement: all charges would be withdrawn if Nkabinde agreed to resign.
“That was part of our confidential settlement agreement, which I accepted.”
According to Nkabinde, Cele cited his report as one of the reasons for not renewing McBride’s contract.
“Hence, Mr McBride hates me with passion as we speak and Mr Paul O’Sullivan.”
He stated that criminal dockets had been opened against both McBride and O’Sullivan — including one with terrorism charges — as a result of his report.
He claimed that while both men were arrested, the case dockets were gathering dust at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
“Up until now, there’s nothing happening,” he said. “I’m a key witness in those dockets. I submitted a statement [but] the matters are still pending.”
Mchunu’s bodyguard murder case
Nkabinde also addressed claims that he had assisted Mchunu in a murder case.
This related to the 2015 killing of the minister’s bodyguard, Xolani Nkosi, in Empangeni, when Mchunu was still KZN premier.
He said that around 2017, Mchunu had complained to him about the Hawks’ lack of progress in the case, expressing concern that he was being unfairly targeted.
“So he felt there is something untoward [regarding] the behaviour of the police hence he reported it.”
Nkabinde said he was assigned to review the complaint and visited the Hawks.
He discovered there was a separate “defeating the ends of justice” case involving both the police and a private investigator hired by Mchunu, which effectively made the minister a suspect.
READ MORE: ‘Don’t make me feel guilty, I’m not guilty,’ Mchunu tells parliament
Since the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had declined to prosecute, Nkabinde recommended that the Hawks proceed in line with proper procedures.
“There was no valid reason to reopen the case, so my investigation ended there, where I submitted a report and my recommendation, [to the] Hawks, that there is nothing wrong to reopen a case as long as they follow all the legal prescripts.”
He said he left Ipid having concluded the matter, highlighting that the investigation into Mchunu’s complaint lasted less than a month.
He also clarified that the DPP did not refuse to prosecute the murder case itself.
“The murder case until the suspects were arrested, convicted, and sentenced.”
He added that Mchunu had only hired a private investigator due to the slow progress in the official investigation.
Relationship with Mchunu
Nkabinde said he remained in occasional contact with Mchunu after leaving Ipid because he regarded him as a “person of high profile,” though their communication was not regular.
“You only see people on TV, and now I have direct contact.”
He said their conversations were general and denied ever discussing his departure from Ipid with Mchunu.
“He did not even know I left Ipid,” he said, describing the minister as a man of few words.
He informed the committee of his surprise when Mchunu contacted him about the position.
“We never talked anything about employment, even when he was in the previous portfolios.”
Friendship with Mkhwanazi
Nkabinde went on to describe his friendship with Mkhwanazi, whom he met in 2017.
He recounted that in early 2024, they went on a “boys’ trip” to Empangeni at Mkhwanazi’s invitation, during which they briefly visited Mchunu’s residence on Nkabinde’s suggestion.
“General Mkhwanazi was a close friend of mine. I think it is safe to say it was boys’ trip otherwise I believe me and him will get into trouble because I believe his wife and my wife are watching here. So I want to divulge much.”
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He said he had informed Mchunu about his friendship with Mkhwanazi, citing several examples of their close bond — including the KZN police commissioner helping him secure employment and Nkabinde’s support during Mkhwanazi’s family bereavement.
He also shared that Mkhwanazi had once asked for his help in designing a house for his homestead at Impendle.
He emphasised their close relationship.
“We eat in one plate together. There are things me and him; we’ll go to the grave with. The way we are so close.”
‘His anger was very controlled’
Responding to Mkhwanazi’s testimony that he was unqualified for the chief of staff position, Nkabinde said the commissioner was upset about being recorded.
Audio clips of their conversations had previously been played in Parliament after Mchunu alleged that Mkhwanazi had threatened him.
“He is angry that I recorded him, so he had to just say anything that will taint my image, but I appreciated that he only said that. His anger was very controlled.”
Nkabinde argued that since Mkhwanazi helped him get a job, he was fully aware of his qualifications, which he said were similar to the commissioner’s own.
He added that Mkhwanazi did not disclose everything during his 6 July briefing or in his testimonies before the parliamentary committee and the Madlanga commission.
He further revealed that Mkhwanazi was among the first to “share my happiness” when he was appointed as Mchunu’s chief of staff.
“Then he said good luck.”
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