Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has defended his decision to appoint Cedrick Nkabinde as his chief of staff, saying the appointment was based on merit and Nkabinde’s background in policing.
Mchunu made the remarks while testifying before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee of Inquiry, which is investigating allegations of corruption and political interference in the criminal justice system. The inquiry stems from a July 6 press briefing by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who accused Mchunu of disbanding the Political Killings Task Team to protect criminal syndicates.
Responding to questions from the inquiry’s chief evidence leader, Advocate Norman Arendse, Mchunu said his working relationship with Nkabinde dated back to when the latter worked at the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
“I would have benefitted from somebody who has a background of how police work, and he met those criteria. You appoint somebody you can trust,” Mchunu said.
Mkhwanazi had earlier told the inquiry that Nkabinde admitted to him that he “knew absolutely nothing” about the duties of a chief of staff before his appointment at the Department of Water and Sanitation, and that he was surprised when Mchunu took him along to the Police Ministry.
Mkhwanazi also testified that Nkabinde once told him that he and former Ipid head Robert McBride met Mchunu at Nkabinde’s home to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation.
“It would appear that the minister might have been implicated in that case, but the two of them somehow had a working arrangement,” Mkhwanazi claimed.
He further alleged that Mchunu was involved in an incident concerning his bodyguards but was never charged.
In his testimony, Mchunu rejected these allegations and clarified that he first met Nkabinde after writing to McBride about a complaint concerning the murder of a member of his security detail during his tenure as KwaZulu-Natal Premier.
“There were rumours that I was involved in the murder of a member of my security team. Despite the DPP declining to prosecute, the Hawks pursued the matter in a strange way,” Mchunu said.
He added that McBride had assigned Nkabinde to handle his complaint, which led to their continued communication.
“I maintained contact with Nkabinde. He gave me feedback on what was happening,” he said.
Mchunu also dismissed suggestions that Nkabinde was unemployed when appointed chief of staff, saying he had since joined a bank after leaving Ipid.
“Nkabinde told me he had informed Mkhwanazi about his job at the bank and even invited him to visit their activities there,” he said.
The inquiry continues.