IPID Issues Mkhwanazi Deadline To Submit Affidavit Amid Allegations Of Power Abuse

The Independent Police Directorate (IPID) has formally requested KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, to submit a sworn affidavit regarding allegations of abuse of power.

These allegations stem from an incident in 2023 in Richards Bay, where Mkhwanazi is suspected of interfering in the arrest of a senior Department of Correctional Services official implicated in running a drug cartel at Westville Prison.

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IPID spokesperson, Lizzy Suping, confirmed that the directorate has set a deadline for the submission of the affidavit by Wednesday, 19 March 2025.

Mkhwanazi is expected to clarify his involvement in the controversial case, following an anonymous complaint from the public.

Anonymous Complaint Triggers Investigation

The investigation began after a tip-off from an anonymous source, prompting IPID to probe the possible abuse of authority by Mkhwanazi.

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The incident is linked to the arrest of Nelly Ndlovu, a senior correctional services official, whose Empangeni home was raided by police in January 2024.

During the raid, officers discovered five R5 rifle rounds and 12 pills, believed to be illegal drugs, in a dustbin outside the property.

Ndlovu was arrested and held at Empangeni Police Station.

No Comment From IPID

Despite the ongoing investigation, IPID remains tight-lipped on the specifics, stressing that the case is still in its early stages.

According to Suping, the directorate would refrain from making further public statements until the probe reaches its conclusion.

Police Commissioner Refutes Allegations

Mkhwanazi has strongly denied any involvement in the alleged interference.

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KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda dismissed the allegations in January, calling them “baseless” and “unfounded.”

Netshiunda said the accusers are spreading rumors with the aim at creating instability within the police force.

He noted that such allegations were part of a broader attempt to damage Mkhwanazi’s reputation and stir division within the police force in KZN

“Police refutes the allegations and accusations contained in that vile communique as baseless, unfounded and as a cheap attempt to create instability within the police machinery, not only in the province but nationally,”  Netshiunda stressed.