Mkhwanazi Demands Parliament Probe Robert McBride And Paul O’Sullivan Over IPID Operations

KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has called on Parliament to investigate former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) head Robert McBride and forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan.

Testifying for a second consecutive day before the Ad Hoc Committee probing allegations of police corruption and interference, Mkhwanazi said he would approach Parliament through intelligence structures to examine McBride’s tenure at IPID.

He claimed that operations within the directorate were allegedly “planned, coordinated and executed” from O’Sullivan’s home. According to Mkhwanazi, the information was relayed to him by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s chief of staff, Cedric Nkabinde.

“I am to require such be investigated in detail because the phone will put McBride in this place, put Paul O’Sullivan in this place, Nkabinde in this place and others. When that investigation is concluded, nobody can deny it,” Mkhwanazi stated.

Explosive Claims During Parliamentary Testimony

Mkhwanazi’s testimony included references to WhatsApp messages linked to the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), which he said were now under criminal investigation. He warned Members of Parliament that public disclosure of classified material had endangered operational safety.

Democratic Alliance MP Dianne Kohler Barnard attended the session virtually after being accused by Mkhwanazi of revealing classified intelligence information during the parliamentary inquiry and at the Madlanga Commission—an allegation she has denied.

The DA confirmed it had sought legal advice regarding any potential recusal requests.

During questioning by Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema, Mkhwanazi called for a detailed investigation into McBride and O’Sullivan’s alleged interactions, including their meeting venues, cellphone locations, and communication records.

Questions Over Classified Reports and Security Gadgets

Mkhwanazi also questioned the handling of a classified IPID report on the Phala Phala investigation, which he said was classified by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.

“When you hear a Minister of Police says I have a report from IPID that is classified, you need to ask yourself a question—you are not an intelligence structure and yet you classified a report you don’t want to release,” he said.

He further demanded that Parliament look into security gadgets procured during the tenure of former Deputy Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, including one sourced from the UK and another allegedly purchased by the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) in 2010.

“I would want Parliament to check every financial record of Paul O’Sullivan and all individuals mentioned so that we draw the conclusion of whether Paul O’Sullivan is a conman or is an agent,” Mkhwanazi said.

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Responding to Malema’s question about whether O’Sullivan could be an MI6 agent, Mkhwanazi remarked that the investigation’s outcome would determine “whether he is indeed a clean man or what is said in public—an agent.”

He warned that inaction from the government could prompt “men and women in this country” to take drastic steps, adding that O’Sullivan “has gone too deep, to show he has control all over.”

Malema further suggested that O’Sullivan be treated as a person of interest for allegedly bringing certain gadgets into the country and potentially destabilising the South African Police Service (SAPS).

“When you engage in destabilisation of the security cluster, you are a security threat and therefore a case should be registered and must be investigated. He has gone on for a long time and he has become a bully,” Malema said.

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