Ndlozi Calls for Mkhwanazi to Be Appointed Acting National Police Commissioner
Former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has issued a strong public call for President Cyril Ramaphosa to suspend National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola and immediately appoint KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as acting national commissioner.
Ndlozi argued that the summons served on Masemola by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) represents a calculated move to weaken ongoing probes into organised crime syndicates and their alleged collaborators within senior ranks of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Masemola has been summoned to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on 21 April 2026 in connection with the irregular awarding of a R360-million SAPS health services tender to controversial businessman Vusumuzi Cat Matlala. According to Acting PoliceMinister Firoz Cachalia, the charges relate to alleged violations of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), not direct corruption.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office has confirmed it will handle the matter “in accordance with the law,” with the possibility of an acting appointment if required.
Ndlozi insisted the objective is to remove Masemola so that high-profile investigators, including Mkhwanazi and Deputy National Commissioner Khumalo, are left exposed. He linked the development to the controversial disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) by the suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, a move critics have described as hasty and aimed at protecting powerful interests.
“Ramaphosa has a duty to defend the credibility of the criminal justice system,” Ndlozi wrote, urging the president to also suspend the head of IDAC. “The criminals MUST NOT WIN!”
Mkhwanazi, a former acting national commissioner known for his no-nonsense approach to crime intelligence and political interference, testified before Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating SAPS corruption. He has earned public support for resisting what many see as attempts to shield cartels operating within law enforcement circles.
The developments co