Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan has hit back at KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi after he initiated a defamation lawsuit against him claiming damages of R5 million.

O’Sullivan described Mkhwanazi’s lawsuit as a desperate attempt to silence a whistleblower after he labelled him a “criminal” and demanded his suspension from the South African Police Service (SAPS).

“Curiously, in his summons he does not make any denials whatsoever but only demands R5 million. In doing so, Mkhwanazi either hopes to set a national record for damages, as the largest ever defamation damages claim awarded in South Africa, is a mere fraction of that amount, or he hopes to silence me. He is mistaken on both counts,” said O’Sullivan.

O’Sullivan spoke against Mkhwanazi after he made damning allegations against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and deputy national police commissioner, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya.

In his statement, O’Sullivan added that Mkhwanazi has failed to address the serious allegations of unlawful conduct made against him which triggered him to speak out.

“Whilst I do not intend to go into the details of the very serious allegations Mkhwanazi faces, as some are already under investigation, and are now the subject of litigation brought by him, I have no problem in publicly confirming that he is not the knight in shining armour he would have the media, and the South African public believe he is,” he said.

O’Sullivan further described Mkhwanazi’s explosive media briefing held on July 6, 2025, as ill-informed by pretending to be a whistle-blower. “If he had real evidence as he claims, why did he not work with prosecutors and go arrest the suspects, instead of lying to the people of SA?” he asked.

He added that he will not be answering questions concerning the allegations he made against Mkhwanazi, but he intends to share his evidence with the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

“Having been subjected in the past to false arrests, unlawful raids on my offices, kidnapping, torture and attempted murder by dirty cops, I will not let a summons for a pathetic amount of money, stand in the way of me exposing all that is wrong with our criminal justice system,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mkhwanazi was the first witness to testify before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.

The commission, currently sitting at the Bridgette Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria, is investigating alleged political interference within the South African Police Service (SAPS), the existence of criminal networks, and the shielding of criminal syndicates within law enforcement structures.

Mkhwanazi made headlines in July when he delivered a dramatic media briefing dressed in Special Task Force camouflage and flanked by heavily armed STF and Tactical Response Team members.

He accused Mchunu of political interference, including allegedly shutting down a task team probing political killings. Both Mchunu and Sibiya have denied the allegations.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

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