Cachalia raises alarm over reported arrest plans for top cops

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Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has expressed concern over reports that KwaZulu-Natal Police Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was on the verge of being arrested by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC).

Since last year, there has been speculation that IDAC was pursuing Mkhwanazi, Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo and other senior police officials.

While IDAC had in the past consistently dismissed the speculations, the rumours gained traction when the directorate on Friday confirmed that arrest warrants have been issued against Khumalo and Major General Nosipho Madondo.

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Speaking during a press briefing in Johannesburg on Monday, Cachalia said it was unacceptable that IDAC could issue arrest warrants against senior police officers without notifying either him or Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.

“I came to learn about the warrants through a newspaper article. I was not informed about the possible arrest of those Generals,” he said.

Upon learning about the instrumental role which Khumalo and Madondo were playing in the planning of the security operations which will be activated to deal with possible security threats posed by the anti-illegal immigration protests scheduled to take place on June 30, IDAC then put the warrants on ice.

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Cachalia said while no police officer, irrespective of rank, should be shielded from accountability, communication protocols need to be observed before the arrest of individuals who are currently playing a key role in the fight against crime in the country.

Mkhwanazi also heads the organised crime unit nationally, while Khumalo is the head of police intelligence nationally.

Those two senior police officers have critical roles in law enforcement.  I do expect to be informed when IDAC takes action of that nature.  This doesn’t mean that where accountability has to be enforced, they {IDAC} must not do it.  But the way it happened was not right.

While NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago confirmed the arrest warrants against Khumalo and Madondo, he denied that there was a warrant issued against Mkhwanazi.

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“Any unrelated information circulated about the arrest of other officers apart from the two is false and should be treated as such,” he said.