Ipid investigation into Mkhwanazi lacks substance, says MP Ian Cameron

The chairperson of parliament's portfolio committee on police, Ian Cameron, believes the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) investigation into KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi lacks substance.

Ipid is investigating Mkhwanazi for allegedly interfering with the arrest of a senior correctional services official in Richards Bay in 2023 after an anonymous complaint from a member of the public was laid.

“Ipid maintains that though it receives complaints and tip offs from various sources, its investigations remain independent and impartial,” it said in a statement. “The investigation is still in its infancy stages and Ipid will only engage on the matter once the investigation is concluded.”

In an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Cameron said Ipid's statement on the investigation was premature. “For now, from an eagle-eyed point of view, there isn't enough substance,” he said.

“Everything that I read from Ipid's statement is purely allegations. We can't just suspend based on an anonymous report. We'll have to wait and see what substance they bring to the fore.

“It's interesting to me to release a statement with allegations like this so publicly when you yourself admit that the investigation is still in its infancy. You would have thought that a preliminary statement would have more depth when exposing something as high-profile as this. It's important to first get your facts straight before commenting or communicating too strongly in public.”

Cameron attributed the investigation to a political ploy at play after Mkhwanazi's comments about senior officials instructing him not to investigate certain people.

“It feels like there's a little bit of a political taste to it. The law and due process must take their course. It's just odd to me that this happened two weeks after Mkhwanazi made certain statements during the police portfolio committee.

“It could just be a coincidence, but something I've learnt over time, especially with regard to internal police politics, is that the incident is usually not the reason or the case.

“In this specific matter, Mkhwanazi made very strong statements two weeks ago about not only political interference over the years but also being instructed not to investigate certain people by certain senior-ranking politicians.

“It's just a feeling. I've got nothing to prove it with.”

Ipid has requested Mkhwanazi to submit a sworn statement regarding the allegations by March 19.

TimesLIVE