Mkhwanazi ‘Made No Attempt To Intervene’ During July Unrest, Says Mary De Haas

KwaZulu-Natal Violence Monitor Dr Mary De Haas has accused provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi of failing to step in during the July 2021 unrest.

She made the allegations during her appearance before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating national security concerns.

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The committee is examining claims of criminal infiltration, corruption, and political interference in the justice system—allegations raised by Mkhwanazi during a media briefing earlier this year.

De Haas said she expected authorities to strengthen intelligence after the 2021 violence, but instead found the provincial police leadership unresponsive. She told MPs that senior officials struggled to reach Mkhwanazi at the height of the crisis.

Security Failures in Focus During Parliamentary Probe

“I have just done a memorandum about the security situation in KwaZulu-Natal. After the July 21, I thought they might be focusing on getting better intelligence because, for once, more seniors officials including the senior police minister.

“And after former President Jacob Zuma was arrested there was nothing coming through from KwaZulu-Natal – I mean Mkhwanazi was nowhere to be found, his phone was off.

“One minister was very outrageous he just could not understand (how) his phone could go off when the province was burning,” says De Haas.

She also expressed surprise that her past call for the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) was cited by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu—now on special leave—as one of the reasons he decided to dissolve the unit.

De Haas ‘Astonished’ Her Complaint Influenced PKTT Disbandment

Mchunu told the committee that De Haas’s letter, which questioned the PKTT’s heavy use of resources despite limited results, influenced his decision.

De Haas said she was shocked that Mchunu appeared to act on her concerns.
“And I want to stress, I never thought the minister would act. Ministers have never acted when I asked them to do anything before. I was amazed, I was astonished,” she adds.

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