Johannesburg – ANC veteran Mathews Phosa has called on suspended South African Police Minister Senzo Mchunu to step aside from all party activities and resign from his ministerial post, warning that the culture of protecting wrongdoers is tarnishing the African National Congress.
Phosa made the remarks during an interview on Thursday, criticising the ANC’s decision not to act against Mchunu after he indicated earlier this month that he was willing to step aside. This followed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, also known as the Madlanga commission.
“The ANC was wrong, and the minister was right; he should have been allowed to step aside. This whole thing of protecting one another must come to an end; that is what is damaging the image of the ANC. Where we are now, we do not have to wait for Madlanga to finish. It is enough. The people have lost confidence in the law enforcement, in the police force and in other state institutions because of this type of behaviour. Why don’t we just behave clean and move on?” Phosa told Newzroom Afrika.
Earlier this month, the ANC confirmed Mchunu had expressed his willingness to step aside from organisational work. However, the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) decided he should remain in his role. The ANC stated it will monitor developments and revisit the matter if new information emerges. The party also said its policy requires members to voluntarily step aside once criminally charged, reflecting its commitment to integrity, transparency, and accountability.
Political analyst Andre Duvenhage from North West University said the ANC’s posture on Mchunu reveals factional battles within the party. “From the beginning, I was reading Mchunu as one of the strategic guys aligned with Ramaphosa. The fact that no action has been taken against him indicates that Ramaphosa’s position is relatively strong. They will probably tell us only after Senzo is found guilty there will be some sort of action. This is an indication that the Ramaphosa camp will fight for him until the bitter end,” Duvenhage said.
Duvenhage added that the Madlanga commission and the parliamentary investigation into allegations by Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi have cast doubt on Mchunu’s credibility. “The ANC as a party is going to pay a price for this because if we look at the evidence coming from the ad hoc committee as well as the Madlanga commission, someone must be held responsible,” he said.
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