Moira Campbell: Victimised Mkhwanazi should be protected

KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi should be protected. So says Moira Campbell, the joint interim leader at Corruption Watch. “…we are concerned about the victimisation of Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi….it took a lot for him to come forward…We must get to the bottom of this - and he should be protected in the process.” Meanwhile, Campbell has some hope that the Commission of Inquiry - appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate allegations of underworld links between politicians, cops and crime lords - might be more effective than previous commissions of inquiry. “…the high level nature of these allegations will make it quite difficult to circumvent any kind of attempts to derail the commission”. She describes how Corruption Watch has “for a long time been concerned about the infiltration of criminal syndicates into police structures…at different levels”, and did make submissions to the Zondo Commission back in 2019 already. However, despite a recommendation in the Zondo Commission report that it should be investigated, that did not happen. “…we might have avoided such a situation if those investigations had begun to sort of unravel the criminal links…the fact that these allegations have come to light now, almost forces the hand of the government to actually address this. But, we’ve lost a lot of time, we've lost opportunities and… it's more than regrettable. It's actually a real failure on the part of our leadership.”.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here.The auditorium doors will open for BNIC#2 on 10 September 2025 in Hermanus. For more information and tickets, click here..Watch here.Listen here.Edited transcript of the interviewChris SteynJust another commission without consequences. That is the fear following the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday of a Commission of Inquiry. We speak to Moira Campbell, the joint interim leader at Corruption Watch. Welcome Moira. Moira CampbellGood morning, Chris. Thank you for inviting me. Chris Steyn You are welcome. Realistically speaking, what are the chances of this Commission of Inquiry producing results where other commissions of inquiry have failed? Moira Campbell I think there are some legitimate concerns about having yet another commission. But I do think that there are some factors that could potentially lead us to different outcomes, at least that is the hope. And we as a civil society organisation certainly have a list of requests or requirements that we would like to see put in place in order to make this judicial commission different from, say for example, the Zondo Commission, which we know cost a billion rand. Although it brought to light a lot of evidence, we have yet to see any prosecutions for a number of different reasons. I think in this instance, the fact that, I think given the gravity of these allegations and the fact that it impacts law enforcement and the criminal justice sector in our country, which obviously is a cause for major concern for every person living in South Africa. I think also the high level nature of these allegations will make it quite difficult to circumvent any kind of attempts to derail the commission. But I do think that there are a number of things that we need to ensure are in place. The one is around whistleblowers. So I think we need to be, we need to be assured, and this is from a civil society perspective, that whistleblowers will be protected, will be able to come to the commission to present evidence and to do so safely and securely. We've seen in other commissions where people were assured of anonymity and then that anonymity was broken. So think that's a very serious issue because it's also dangerous to be a whistleblower in this space. I think we also would like to request, well, to ensure in fact, rather than request, that there are no extensions to this commission as we saw in previous ones as well. That there is a given time period that should be sufficient for dealing with the allegations at hand. Moira Campbell There's a possibility, if you're looking at the entire criminal justice system, that there could be a broader kind of investigation that goes back for some time, but that should be a separate issue, I think. So I think those are some of the issues and then also that it's treated with a matter of urgency. Chris Steyn But already in 2022, there was a recommendation in the Zondo Commission report that evidence of corruption in law enforcement should be further investigated. Have you seen any evidence of that? Moira CampbellI'm glad that you brought that up because as Corruption Watch, we joined the Institute for Security Studies in making a submission to the Zondo Commission around the flaws in our criminal justice system. There was, as I'm sure you can recall, a lot of evidence came to light in the commission around criminality and allegations of corruption in the sector. And I think it was an express kind of request from former Chief Justice Zondo that because the evidence was too broad and it was beyond the scope of the commission to be able to deal with them at that time, that they be picked up with some urgency and investigated. Three years on, we know that it was not picked up. So there was a wealth of evidence there, which…so our...take on that is that that is a good starting point, that there's already evidence that's been given. I mean, we're not sure about whether those people that came forward are still going to be available. But I think the fact that we are in this situation now, three years later, it doesn't instill much confidence because I think we might have avoided such a situation if those investigations had begun and to sort of unravel the criminal links, so to speak, because we've seen a rise in organised crime and violence. I mean, we're not in a good position right now. So, you know, the fact that these allegations have come forward, you know, have come to light now, I think almost like force the hand, you know, of governments to actually address this. I mean, there's too much...outrage and there's too much at stake, I think for all of us who want to see a safer environment to live in. But I do think that we've lost a lot of time, we've lost opportunities and that is, I mean, it's more than regrettable. It's actually a real failure, I think, on the part of our leadership. Chris Steyn Will you be making a submission to this commission as well? Moira Campbell It is possible. I mean, we are still assessing that. I mean, obviously we don't have, we haven't had sight of the evidence around the allegations and, you know, we fully support the fact that there must be due process. I think, you know, that it was, I think, important for people to be removed temporarily from their positions while due process happens. So it is extremely important that that process be allowed to happen in terms of our sort constitutional democracy. There is a possibility. I mean, if we've been looking at our submission from, it was 20, I think it was, was in the early days of the commission, I forget the exact date, I think it was 2019. So that's a good number of years ago…. Chris Steyn It was. Moira Campbell ….definitely space to look at that again and do a review and sort of update what the status is at this point. And we will be talking to partners. mean, I'm not saying, you know, specifically that we will work with the same partners, but there is, think, space, there's definitely space for civil society to come forward. I mean, we will be encouraging all our, you know, stakeholder partners and civil society to..to do what we did in the previous one, and to definitely have a voice there, because I think there's a huge amount of alarm and distress about where we are at, and just the fact that in particular vulnerable communities are not protected. Our law enforcement, if captured and if found to have criminal links, that's an extremely serious consequence for the country. Chris Steyn Now, meanwhile, both the Minister of Police and the Deputy National Commissioner have been placed on special leave. But special leave is not suspension, as some outlets have reported. Should they not have been suspended? Moira Campbell I think there is a case for them to have been suspended. I was, I think, you know, a little surprised that it was couched in the terms of special leave. I think suspension would have maybe sent a stronger message to the South African public that actually, you know, that while still allegations, so let's be clear about that, these are allegations, that if there is any sort of potential for wrongdoing, that a stronger measure be taken. And until such time as those allegations have been tested in the Commission and in courts of law. So I think it's understandable that people feel that perhaps it wasn't a strong enough sort of sanction given the severity of what we're dealing with here. Chris SteynWhat do you make of the appointment of the Acting Acting Minister of Police? Moira Campbell Are you talking about Gwede Mantashe. I think it was a bit of a surprise move. Interesting, mean, it's for a very short period of time and my understanding is that he will still be handling his current portfolio, as well as the police portfolio. So that's quite a tall order. Moira Campbell I think the assumption is that perhaps this is a trusted minister. I really don't have any insight into that decision. I'm also surprised that it wasn't already clarified on Sunday when the announcement was made that if you're going to be removing somebody that you've got your Plan B in place already. I mean, we heard about the appointment of Professor Feroz Cachalia. So that was communicated, but this interim period was not. So there's a sense that perhaps there was some scrambling around for what would have been considered a, I don't know, trusted minister. I really don't have any insight into that. Yes, it was surprising news. Chris Steyn Now you must be sitting on a lot of evidence of links between criminal justice agencies and the underworld. Were you shocked by the allegations made by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner of Police? Moira Campbell I think, sort of yes and no. I mean, I think there's been a lot of concern. I mean, you know, we certainly through our associations with partners, you know, I can't say we have any particular cases that are current right now, but we have for a long time been concerned about the infiltration of criminal syndicates into police structures, you know, at...at different levels. You know, when we first started working in the policing sector, was way back, you know, 2017. And also because we know the levels of corruption within the police just reported by people, you know, on the ground, ordinary people like us, you know, who reported about dockets gone missing. But I think this is of a different order, you know, the infiltration of criminal syndicates is, is alarming. I think we've all seen how that's played out. So even without having investigated all the evidence, I don't think it's a surprise for anybody to think that perhaps the way that criminality has taken root, that there must be potentially some links. So again, allegations at this point. But I think, so in a way there wasn't a surprise, perhaps it sort of a bit of a bolt out of the blue, like none of us were expecting that. But I think on a sort of a, if you can say that there's a positive outcome, it's that this has been brought to light, because actually something has to be done. And we need to really sort of lift the lid on potential… complicity, I think, within the entire, in the SAPS, but also in the criminal justice sector. I think if it is, if fingers crossed, if this commission is able to do its job effectively, and we are able to get the level of evidence that is needed, I say with a lot of hope… Moira Campbell …that we will be able to turn a corner and really expose the infiltration of criminal players in our society. Chris Steyn Now following the bombshell allegations made by General Makhwanazi, there have been attempts to discredit him and there are fears for his life even. However, he does have huge public support. How would you describe his position? Moira Campbell I think we take very seriously his position as a whistleblower. I think the minute he came out with allegations and evidence that he referred to, he is a whistleblower and he should receive protection. He should, under the Constitution, he should be able to appear at the commission safely, securely. And I think we are concerned about victimisation of Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi. I think it took a lot for him to come forward. It's a brave act to be whistleblower in this country, we know that, in particular in this sector. So I think in terms of, I think there are perhaps undercurrents at play. Those should be disregarded because, I think if you're looking at it purely objectively, he is a whistleblower. He's come forward with serious allegations. They must be investigated. We must get to the bottom of this and he should be protected in the process. So he would certainly have our support as a whistleblower. Chris Steyn Thank you. was Moira Campbell, the joint interim leader at Corruption Watch, speaking to BizNews. And I'm Chris Steyn. Thank you, Moira. Moira CampbellThank you, Chris.

Moira Campbell: Victimised Mkhwanazi should be protected

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