South Africa: Bombshell Testimony Implicates Mchunu in Alleged Bid to Target Mkhwanazi

What the report says

A witness at South Africa’s Madlanga Commission has placed sidelined police minister Senzo Mchunu at the center of fresh allegations involving an effort to discredit KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. According to Daily Maverick, Lieutenant Colonel Deendadayalan “Deena” Govender, who is attached to the Hawks and leads the KwaZulu-Natal cash-in-transit task team, gave testimony on Friday, 21 August 2026, that broadened the political and policing dispute under scrutiny.

Govender said he believed he was being used to undermine Mkhwanazi. The article reports that he told the commission he was pressured to say he had acted on Mkhwanazi’s instructions in connection with police shootings. He also alleged that he was threatened with arrest, denial of bail and even poisoning if he did not cooperate.

His appearance followed testimony by National Coloured Congress MP Fadiel Adams, whose evidence had already raised questions about a second affidavit allegedly obtained by Investigating Directorate Against Corruption chief investigator Dylan Perumal during a late-night visit to Adams’ home. Taken together, the testimony has added new tension to an already charged inquiry into conduct within South Africa’s policing and anti-corruption structures. The allegations remain claims reported by the commission and have not been resolved in the supplied material.