As parliament’s ad hoc committee, established to investigate allegations made by Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, resumed its work, SA was once again confronted with uncomfortable truths.
Oral evidence from former police boss Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane added to the growing body of testimony exposing the deep fractures within SA’s criminal justice system.
At the same time, the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into allegations of corruption, political interference and criminal misconduct within the criminal justice system resumed on Monday.
Chaired by justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, the commission was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa following explosive allegations made by Mkhwanazi on July 6 2025.
Among the most disturbing claims were that criminal syndicates had infiltrated the state and that political interference played a role in the disbanding of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
Both the Madlanga commission and parliament’s ad hoc committee have since disclosed shocking accounts of interference and infiltration within law enforcement.
Allegations of corrupt relationships between political leaders and drug cartels have emerged, including testimony before parliament suggesting that the former minister of police received money to influence decisions.
What makes these revelations particularly powerful is that they help ordinary South Africans make sense of what we see every day.
They explain why a taxi boss suddenly becomes a preferred construction contractor in a municipality.
They explain why service delivery decisions affecting communities are sometimes discussed and approved outside formal municipal structures.
They also shed light on the troubling realities within our institutions of higher learning, why campuses have become sites of escalating violence, and why university executives are sometimes found with large amounts of cash in their vehicles.
The testimony explains why scholar transport drivers can shut down operations without consequence when they are not paid.
It explains why private security guards openly carry high-powered firearms in public spaces while protecting their principals.
In some cases, businessmen are surrounded by security details more extensive than those assigned to a sitting president.
Before parliament’s ad hoc committee, businessman Vusimuzi Matlala testified that some of his employees were members of a South African Police Service task force.
This alone illustrates the depth of the crisis facing policing in South Africa.
We have allowed the lumpenproletariat to take charge of our lives while civilians suffer.
Criminals continue their business unchecked and unpunished, even as the state institution mandated to provide safety fails its constitutional duty.
Section 205(3) of the Constitution is clear: the SAPS exists to prevent, combat and investigate crime; to maintain public order; to protect the inhabitants of the republic and their property; and to uphold and enforce the law.
Yet Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo from Crime Intelligence testified before parliament that almost all SAPS members in Gauteng work with criminal cartels.
This is not merely a Gauteng problem; it reflects the broader condition of our police service.
A criminal closely linked to a cartel is unlikely to be arrested, let alone serve time.
Communities are continuously encouraged to report crime, but doing so has become dangerous.
Many residents fear reporting drug dens because some police officers are allegedly on the payroll of drug lords.
Criminals now control our streets and communities feel powerless. This will not change unless the SAPS undergoes rigorous transformation and renewal.
Policing has always been regarded as a calling.
In their oath of office, police officers commit to upholding the Constitution, serving with integrity, actively preventing corruption and bringing perpetrators to justice.
Any renewal of the SAPS must be grounded in these principles.
There is also an urgent need to improve policing capabilities at the station level.
It cannot be acceptable that only specialised units such as the PKTT or the National Intervention Unit (NIU) possess real investigative capacity.
Finally, police officers must be adequately compensated so that they are not easily bought by criminals.
Leaders elected by the people must remember the warning of Friedrich Engels: “Every leader of the workers who utilises these gutter proletarians as guards or supports proves himself by this action alone a traitor to the movement.”
Political leadership must ensure that lumpen forces are never allowed to take charge of our lives again.
• Ayanda Jam is an employee of the Eastern Cape provincial legislature, writing in his personal capacity.