My family relies on the police like all citizens, I don’t have money for bodyguards — says Mkhwanazi:
On day two of his testimony before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee, Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told parliamentarians that he was speaking up and fighting to ensure the safety of all citizens, including his family members, who don’t have the luxury of hiring bodyguards.
•Mkhwanazi was asked whether his family had received any threats and whether they had enough protection following his explosive media briefing and subsequent testimonies.
“I don’t have money to hire bodyguards for my family members. It is impossible. I cannot do that, so their safety can only be guaranteed by men and women in blue that are out there that are supposed to protect everyone else,” he said.
“They (his family members) are not different to anyone else. There’s no special provisions for them… Their safety is equal to the safety of every citizen.”
“I cannot give you a 100% guarantee about their safety. It is what I am trying to fight for that the SAPS must be allowed to make sure that we protect the citizens, including my family members,” Mkhwanazi added.
(Photo credit: Sphamandla Dlamini/EWN)