Mkhwanazi: Cele tried to push crime intelligence head out of SAPS | Madlanga Commission
Former police minister Bheki Cele has been accused of attempting to force out crime intelligence head Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo to protect General Feroz Khan from scrutiny, according to testimony by Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Newspapers
KZN Police Commissioner, Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said former Police Minister Bheki Cele wanted crime intelligence chief Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo to resign from SAPS to protect General Feroz Khan from being investigated.
Khumalo was working on a case that involved Khan, according to Mkhwanazi who painted a picture that linked Khan to Brown Mogotsi as well as Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala - figures with alleged ties to criminal activities.
In a stunning account, Mkhwanazi said Cele approached him with a request to “recruit” Khumalo for a five-year role in Gauteng, outside the police force.
But Mkhwanazi said the request raised immediate red flags. “I received a strange call,” Mkhwanazi told the Madlanga commission.
“General Cele was asking me to approach Khumalo to resign from SAPS and go work with him in Gauteng for five years. Then, he said, Khumalo could return to SAPS. It made no sense.”
Mkhwanazi said what struck him most was Cele’s sudden change of stance on Khumalo — whom he had previously “openly disliked.”
“When Cele was still in SAPS, he didn’t like Khumalo at all. He made everyone at the head office believe Khumalo was a bad person. So why now, suddenly, this trust?” he asked.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi testifies before the Madlanga Commission, alleging that former police minister Bheki Cele pressured the head of crime intelligence to resign to shield a senior officer from investigation.
Image: Oupa Mokoena
Alarmed by the contradiction, Mkhwanazi said he consulted an equally baffled colleague. He later phoned General Khumalo directly to confirm the story.
“Khumalo just laughed and said, ‘Don’t worry, the general is not serious.’ When I asked him to explain, he said Cele wanted him to back off the case against General Khan. That’s when I realised this was an attempt to obstruct an internal investigation,” Mkhwanazi testified.
According to Mkhwanazi, Khumalo had been tasked with probing General Khan in connection with links with individuals such as Brown Mogotsi and Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala—figures with alleged ties to criminal activities.
“If upset me deeply,” said Mkhwanazi. “Could Cele really go as far as to ask someone to resign from SAPS just to protect another general? I was so disappointed, I never spoke to him again after that.”
The Madlanga Commission continues to hear testimony on allegations of political interference, corruption, and manipulation within SAPS leadership structures. This is day three of the commission.
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