Paul O’Sullivan says his last rodeo will end Mkhwanazi’s “Cato Manor 2.0”

Key topics:Paul O’Sullivan alleges KZN police led by Mkhwanazi use “Cato Manor 2.0” killingsClaims state resources protect syndicates while rivals are eliminatedParliament debates O’Sullivan’s credibility vs Mkhwanazi’s shoot-to-kill policies.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..By Alec Hogg.It’s often said history doesn't repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes. For veteran forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan, the current rhyme must be is deafeningly familiar. Two decades ago, he stood almost alone against Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi, exposing the rot at the head of the SAPS fish - and for the dismantling of the Krejcir crime syndicate,Today, O’Sullivan is back in the trenches for what he claims is his “last rodeo”. This time, his sights are trained on KwaZulu-Natal’s Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. But unlike the Selebi era, the hunter has now become the hunted, with Parliament and the Madlanga Commission serving as the coliseum for a bruising public showdown. And with social media and even some journalists full of barbs against the one-time hero. As a result, O’Sullivan has himself become one of the central characters in the Commissions of Inquiry. Given the stakes and numerous murders directly associated with the process, it should surprise nobody that the Forensics for Justice founder has decided to base himself outside of SA..Read more:.RIGHT OF REPLY: HSF says Paul O’Sullivan did not “fund” McBride case.But he will still have his day in the spotlight - days to be more precise. O’Sullivan will appear remotely next Tuesday and Wednesday. It promises to be riveting. In a blistering submission to Parliament’s Ad-Hoc Committee distributed to various media outlets including BizNews, O’Sullivan has laid out what he describes as the "capture" of the KZN criminal justice system. If Selebi was about dirty money in brown paper bags, O’Sullivan argues the Mkhwanazi era is about something far more visceral: blood.The "Cato Manor 2.0" AccusationCentrepiece of O’Sullivan’s dossier is the allegation that General Mkhwanazi has effectively resurrected the "Cato Manor" style of policing — extra-judicial killings masquerading as crime fighting. He terms this "Cato Manor 2.0," painting a picture of a province where the "rule of law" has been usurped by Mkhwanazi’s "rule of the gun".O’Sullivan connects these dots with his usual precision. He claims the soaring body count of suspects in KZN isn't a sign of efficiency, but of a "reign of terror" designed to eliminate rivals of syndicates favoured by those who are legally charged with carrying firearms. In one particularly damning file note, he alleges that the state apparatus is being weaponised to protect specific drug lords, like the "Chamane" syndicate, while liquidating their competition.But the allegations don't stop at violence. O’Sullivan points to what he calls "industrial-scale corruption" in procurement, specifically flagging the purchase of a Crime Intelligence building for R53m — a property he insists is worth a fraction of that price. He suggests the deal was engineered to create a slush fund for buying silence and loyalty within the top brass.The "Rogue" Narrative: Parliament Bites BackHowever, viewing this solely through O’Sullivan’s lens would miss half the story. The "Irish terrier," as he was once known, is himself facing fierce headwinds from lawmakers who view him not as a whistleblower but as an unaccountable loose cannon.In a heated exchange captured in Parliamentary transcripts, EFF leader Julius Malema and General Mkhwanazi found common ground in their disdain for the investigator. Mkhwanazi, defiant and uniformed, dismissed O’Sullivan’s critiques as the rantings of a bitter man. He defended the use of lethal force by his officers, insisting they "do not hunt anyone" but merely respond to fire.The criticism in the Madlanga Commission has been even more pointed. Mkhwanazi used that platform to paint O’Sullivan as an intelligence operative running a "parallel state," accusing him of impersonating IPID officials and intimidating senior government staff. The General’s narrative is clear: O’Sullivan is a foreign interloper who believes he is above the law, a "white messiah" figure interfering in South Africa’s sovereign matters.This view has enjoyed growing traction. MPs have grilled O’Sullivan on his methods, some openly labelling him a rogue investigator whose “cowboy” tactics undermine the very institutions he claims to defend. Reports from the DPCI Judge have previously flagged concerns about his operational overreach, adding judicial weight to detractors' arguments.Joining the DotsFor those of us watching from the sidelines, the picture is murky but fascinating. On one side, we have a SAPS General who enjoys populist support for his "shoot-to-kill" rhetoric in a crime-weary province. On the other hand, a forensic investigator with a proven track record of exposing top-level rot warns that this popularity is a Trojan Horse for state-sanctioned murder.O’Sullivan’s submission includes a transcript of Mkhwanazi’s defiance in Parliament, which he uses to illustrate what he calls the General’s "arrogance". Yet, Mkhwanazi’s supporters see that same defiance as strength.The stakes could not be higher. If O’Sullivan is right, KZN is being run by a "wolf in sheep’s clothing," and the silence of the establishment amounts to complicity in gross human rights violations. If his critics are right, O’Sullivan is a dangerous relic destabilising the police force for his own agenda..Read more:.The Mkhwanazi complaints: Spotlighting SA’s accountability blind spot - Paul Hoffman.As is often the case in South Africa, the truth likely lies in the uncomfortable space between these two extremes. But one thing is certain: O’Sullivan has thrown down the gauntlet. He is calling for an independent inquiry stripped of police influence and demands the immediate suspension of the KZN SAPS leadership.Whether Parliament has the appetite to "join the dots" as O’Sullivan suggests, or whether they will close ranks around the popular General, is the defining question of this saga. For now, the battle lines are drawn, and the "High Noon" moment for KZN’s police leadership has arrived.

Paul O’Sullivan says his last rodeo will end Mkhwanazi’s “Cato Manor 2.0”

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By Alec Hogg

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