WATCH | ‘I have nothing to hide’: Mchunu’s chief of staff Cedrick Nkabinde testifies in Parliament
The chief of staff to suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, Cedrick Nkabinde, has taken the stand before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee, where MPs are grilling him over his relationship with Mchunu.
The committee is probing allegations of corruption, criminal infiltration, and political interference within law enforcement.
Last week, Committee chairperson MolapiLekganyane confirmed that Nkabinde would appear on Thursday and Friday.
This follows Mchunu’s recent appearance before the committee, during which he denied allegations of corruption and interference within police operations.
Nkabinde is expected to address questions about his involvement in Minister Mchunu’s controversial directive to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) last December.
Throughout the inquiry, Nkabinde’s name has come up multiple times, highlighting his rapid ascent from handling case dockets to becoming the Police Minister’s chief of staff.
KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi testified that he met Minister Mchunu through Nkabinde before Mchunu’s appointment as police minister in 2024.
The top cope further questioned Nkabinde’s appointment, saying he lacked the necessary experience for such a senior role.
Nkabinde has rejected suggestions of incompetence or wrongdoing.
Speaking after police raided his Johannesburg home last month, he said he was “fully prepared to cooperate with any investigation” and willing to testify in order to clear his name.”
He described the raid, during which his electronic devices were seized and his brother briefly detained, as “heavy-handed and politically motivated.”
Nkabinde said there was “an obvious attempt to intimidate and discredit” him and maintained that he had been appointed “based on merit and integrity.”
“I have nothing to hide,” he said.
“If I am called to testify or take part in any legal process, I will do so without hesitation. I have served my country with honesty.”
He added that any further engagement with law enforcement would happen through his lawyers, saying he no longer trusted investigators “to act in good faith.”
“I contacted my lawyers about this incident, and then my lawyers contacted or engaged the ad hoc committee in Parliament, which is sitting as we speak to report this harassment and intimidation because I’m one of the witnesses in that process.”
The Ad Hoc Committee, which began hearings on October 7, has already heard from Mkhwanazi, National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, Sibiya, Mchunu, former Minister Bheki Cele, Acting Minister Firoz Cachalia, Deputy Police Ministers Polly Boshielo and Casell Mathale, including National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
IOL Politics