South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has asked Police Minister Senzo Mchunu to step aside immediately because of serious accusations that connect him to organised crime. Ramaphosa made this announcement during a live TV broadcast on Sunday night. He explained that the claims were very serious and could harm the country’s constitution and safety. To deal with this, the president has set up a special judicial commission to investigate the matter deeply. This panel will be led by the Deputy Chief Justice and will look into the actions of both current and past police officers and government officials.

While the investigation goes on, law professor Firoz Cachalia has been chosen as the acting police minister. Senzo Mchunu, who is 67 years old and an important member of the ruling party, the ANC, is also believed to be aiming for a leadership role at the ANC’s 2027 election. He has said he is not guilty and has done nothing wrong. In his statement, he said he accepts the president’s decision and will fully cooperate with the investigation. Mchunu also said he believes in honour and integrity and encouraged everyone to work toward upholding these values.

The accusations first came from KwaZulu-Natal’s police chief, Lt. Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. He claimed that Mchunu tried to block police investigations into political killings and corruption. Mkhwanazi also said that Mchunu received financial help from businessman Vusimuzi Matlala, who had a contract with the police but lost it after being arrested for attempted murder in May. The police chief further said that Mchunu played a role in ending a special police team that was formed in 2018 to investigate political assassinations in the province. According to him, this team had found links between top politicians, some police officers, and a major drug cartel. But earlier this year, the unit was shut down. Mchunu claimed the team was no longer useful, even though many cases remained unsolved.

Mkhwanazi also revealed that 121 case files from that unit were taken without proper approval and are now sitting untouched at police headquarters. Out of those, five files had already been approved for arrests, but nothing has been done since March.

All of this has increased pressure on President Ramaphosa, who is already dealing with political challenges. His quick decision to launch an investigation is seen as a way to keep the public’s trust and show that the government is serious about fighting corruption, even among its top officials.