KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi says he is not afraid of a perjury complaint laid against him by National Coloured Congress (NCC) MP Fadiel Adams.
Adams opened the case at the Cape Town Central police station on Wednesday after Mkhwanazi withdrew a statement he made under oath before parliament’s ad-hoc committee investigating alleged corruption and political interference in the criminal justice system.
Mkhwanazi alleged, in his earlier testimony, that police minister Bheki Cele had received money from businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. He claimed Cele had sent a bank account number, not in his own name, for a deposit.
He later retracted the claim in a message to the committee’s evidence leader, advocate Norman Arendse SC, saying his team had got the bank account wrong and apologised to Cele.
Speaking on the sidelines of a festive season safety launch in Durban on Thursday, Mkhwanazi said he was not intimidated by the case and would allow due process to take course.
“Anyone has the right to open a case. Police must investigate if there’s a crime committed, and if they feel that they must take that to the courts and the court decides to prosecute, they will,” he said.
What I presented before the citizens in July was not my making; it was the hardworking men and women of SAPS who are frustrated.
— Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, KZN police commissioner
“I was never afraid to be prosecuted [and] I’m not going to be afraid now. If Mr Adams feels that he must use that strategy to threaten or intimidate, it’s okay. I’m not afraid of that. We already know which side of the law he is, and we will find each other at the right place. Let it happen, he must bring it on.”
He confirmed he would be going back to the ad hoc committee to explain his retraction under oath in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Adams is among the high-profile figures Mkhwanazi has accused of wrongdoing during these investigations.
He previously testified at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that Adams had received sensitive intelligence that was only intended for vetted members of parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence, which Adams is not a part of, and handled it recklessly.
Adams said this week that Mkhwanazi also had no clearance to handle some of the top-secret information that he shared in the ad hoc committee and was thus guilty of the same thing he was criticising.
Responding to those claims, Mkhwanazi said the information he presented came from police officers and documents he was authorised to access. He said his testimony reflected the frustrations of SAPS members rather than his personal opinions.
“What I presented before the citizens in July was not my making; it was the hardworking men and women of SAPS who are frustrated,” he said.
“Where there was any omission or error made, that was not intentional, but it’s going to be explained. What I said is coming from the team, and it’s going to be explained when I go back to parliament.”
He added that Adams might have misunderstood what was said during the committee hearing.
“Maybe he needs to get my statement and read it to see where I wrote whatever that he went to open a case on. Or else he’s opening the case against what I said.”
He further expressed support for the Madlanga Commission and parliament’s ongoing investigations, saying they were helping to highlight the challenges faced by police officers.
“We’re quite happy with some of the things that are coming out so that at least society gets to see the frustration that men and women are facing on a daily basis,” he said.
“If our efforts are frustrated, we have to find means to make sure we’re able to enforce the law. I’m glad the president took the decision to establish the commission, and I’m happy that parliament is embarking on the process they’re busy with, that will help us all.”
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