Ramaphosa must explain use of police for private mine, says MK Party
The MK Party has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to explain testimony given under oath by Lt-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi at the Madlanga Commission, which alleges that the president instructed the National Police Commissioner to deploy elite units to a private mine.
These include the Special Task Force (STF) and National Intervention Unit (NIU), which were reportedly assigned to provide exclusive security to Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), a private mining company.
The MK Party says this constitutes the abuse of state security resources.
“This act constitutes the capture of state security resources for the narrow benefit of a private multinational, at taxpayer expense, while ordinary South Africans continue to face violent crime, gender-based violence, and lawlessness without adequate protection,” said MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela.
The party argues that the revelations go beyond justifying its longstanding warnings; they expose “a Presidency under Cyril Ramaphosa that is actively manipulating state security structures to serve political agendas.”
“The events detailed during the Madlanga Commission confirm what the MK Party has consistently warned against: a criminal justice system captured at the highest level, where political figures manipulate the police to cover for allies, suppress accountability, and serve elite interests.
”The rule of law is being subverted by the very people sworn to uphold it,” Ndhlela said.
The MK Party has demanded that Ramaphosa disclose the legal basis, full costs, and rationale for the deployment, and account to Parliament and the nation on how this conduct aligns with his constitutional obligation to govern impartially.
“If Mr Ramaphosa fails to respond satisfactorily,” Ndhlela warned, “the MK Party will escalate the matter through all parliamentary, Chapter 9, Auditor General and legal mechanisms to hold him accountable.”
“The state exists to serve the people, not multinational mining companies,” he said.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
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