Mchunu hires CR17 campaigner as personal spindoctor as his scandal deepens
POLICE Minister Senzo Mchunu who is on special leave, has hired season communicator, Sithembiso Mshengu, a strong President Cyril Ramaphosa's ally as his personal spokesperson to handle all communication in relation to the Madlanga Commission, Ad Hoc Committe and any political matter.
Image: X | Sithembiso Mshengu
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who is currently on special leave, has appointed former CR17 KwaZulu-Natal campaigner Sithembiso Mshengu as his personal spokesperson amid growing calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to dismiss him.
The appointment comes as Mchunu faces mounting political and public pressure following explosive claims made by attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who last week alleged that he had financed Mchunu’s campaign for the ANC presidency.
Matlala further claimed to possess additional information about the minister, despite Mchunu having previously denied under oath any knowledge of him during his appearance before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee.
Until now, Mchunu had been handling media queries himself. He recently told journalists that he wished to first appear before both the Ad Hoc Committee and the Madlanga Commission, two forums he said he looked forward to addressing in order to “clear his name and set the record straight.”
However, with the scrutiny intensifying since KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi publicly alleged in July this year that Mchunu was linked to suspected criminals, the minister has now delegated all communication duties to Mshengu.
IN a move to clean his public image and ensure smooth communication in relation to his political battles following his appearance at the Ad Hoc Committee, and his pending appearance before the Madlanga Commission, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who is on special leave has hired a seasoned communicator, Sithembiso Mshengu, a strong proponent of President Cyril Ramaphosa's presidential campaign in KwaZulu-Natal under the CR17 banner.
Image: HENK KRUGER Independent Media
"The Minister of Police, who is on special leave... an ANC NEC (national executive committee) member and NWC (national working committee) member, has appointed Mr Sithembiso Mshengu, with effect from 05 November 2025, to be his personal spokesperson and to manage all media queries on his behalf for the duration of his preparation and appearance in the Madlanga commission.
"He will also cover all matters related to his recent appearance to the Ad Hoc committee and all other related political matters currently," Mchunu said in a statement issued via his party, the ANC, yesterday.
Mshengu, a seasoned political communicator, previously served as spokesperson for former eThekwini mayor James Nxumalo and as a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, where he chaired the Conservation and Environment Committee and sat on the Public Works and Ad Hoc Committee on Land Matters between November 2021 and May 2024.
A staunch Ramaphosa ally, Mshengu was one of the most vocal proponents of the CR17 campaign in 2017 in KwaZulu-Natal, when the ANC in the province was deeply divided between the CR17 and Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s NDZ factions, during the party's presidential succession battle.
Mshengu's political fortunes waned following the rise of the so-called Taliban faction within the ANC’s provincial structures. He subsequently lost his legislature seat and related positions after the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) secured the most seats in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature in last year’s national and provincial elections.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE