KZN top cop Mkhwanazi reveals next move when SAPS contract ends

South African Police Service (SAPS) commissioner for KwaZulu-Natal, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has no plans for become the new head of the Hawks, and when his terms as KZN top cop ends, the straight-talking policeman has other plans.

Speaking to members of Parliament (MPs) during a portfolio committee meeting on police, Mkhwanazi said he wants to see out his contract as police commissioner for KwaZulu-Natal.

“I remain here to see to it [that] my contract is done, a contract that has got a year to go before it ends. And I will do my job and from there I will go home and relax,” Mkhwanazi told MPs.

I don’t want to lead Hawks, says Mkhwanazi

Mkhwanazi, who was appointed provincial police commissioner on 24 December 2018, also quashed rumours that he wanted to succeed General Godfrey Lebeya as head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as the Hawks. Lebeya, who was appointed in 2018, completes his tenure in May 2025.

“I will never submit my application for the post of DPCI,” Mkhwanazi said emphatically, adding that he joined the police service in 1993 to “to face the criminals directly”.

“That’s why I joined the Public Order Police unit, and from there I moved to the Special Task Force (STF). I never wanted to be a detective specifically, because I wanted to be involved with the real action, which is a combination of both investigation and combatting,” said Mkhwanazi.

Leading from the front

And evidence of his direct approach has been on display in recent months, with Mkhwanazi leading KwaZulu-Natal police officers in deadly confrontations with criminals, eliciting criticism and whispers of “extrajudicial killings”.

However, Mkhwanazi is unmoved, telling police officers last year to ignore “experts” and make criminals feel wrath of the law.

“Do not be discouraged by self-proclaimed experts or analysts who find relevance only when they speak badly about the police. Such people have never experienced the dangers on the streets that you patrol 24 hours a day. 

“I urge you to ignore the noise and execute your constitutional mandate professionally. Criminals who challenge the authority of the state by shooting at police officers should be made to feel the wrath of the law, all within the confines of the Constitution,” the former STF member emphasised in August 2024.

And in other act of bravery while confronting criminals, Mkhwanazi once had to fend off an attempted hijacking while he was off duty in Tshwane (Pretoria) a few years.

NHLANHLA MKHWANAZI’S BACKGROUND

Born in Edendale, a township in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, famous for the notorious violence before the dawn of democracy in 1994, Mkhwanazi joined the SAPS in 1993.

His initial deployment was in Public Order Policing, where he managed the Public Order Police responsibilities within the police service. Since then, he has been through all the levels and ranks and has successfully served in different management positions within the police service.

• Mkhwanazi holds a National Diploma and a BA Degree in policing. He has also been awarded certificates for qualifying for the supervisor’s role in counterterrorism investigations from the USA, bomb disposal from the Republic of South Africa, and crisis response teams from the USA.
• In 2005, he was appointed head of the Special Task Force for his outstanding performance and expertise. This branch of the SAPS manages all specialised operational sections, such as the National Air Wing, National Intervention Unit, and the presentation of Special Task Force training.
• The Special Task Force is the SAPS’s highest specialised operations task team. Heading it calls for special skills, knowledge, and intelligence.
• In October 2011, he was appointed by former president Jacob Zuma as acting national police commissioner. He replaced Bheki Cele, who was suspended and eventually fired for meddling in the R1.78 billion police headquarters lease deal.
• In December 2018, Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi was appointed as the head of police in KwaZulu-Natal.

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