Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi Exposes Home Affairs Senior Officials

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has confirmed that police are investigating senior officials at the Department of Home Affairs. He said these officials are helping foreign nationals enter the country outside the proper rules.

Mkhwanazi spoke to journalists outside on Friday. He explained that the police have information pointing to people in senior positions at Home Affairs who are making it easier for foreign nationals to come into South Africa. He did not give names or exact details of the cases, but he made it clear that the matter is already under police attention.

The comments come at a time when many communities are raising concerns about the number of foreign nationals in the country and how some of them arrive and stay. In Durban this week, protests near a refugee reception centre turned violent. Vehicles were burnt and businesses were affected. Similar unrest was reported in Soweto. Police and the South African National Defence Force have been deployed in some areas to keep order.

Mkhwanazi has previously told residents not to take the law into their own hands. He has said that checking documents and deciding who may stay is the job of the police and Home Affairs, not ordinary citizens. At the same time, he has promised that officers will act when they receive proper information about people who are in the country illegally.

The latest statement focuses on the role of officials themselves. If senior staff are found to be facilitating entry, it would mean the problem is not only at the border or in the streets, but inside the system that is supposed to control it. Police have not said how many officials are involved or how long the investigation has been running. They have also not indicated whether any arrests have been made yet.

Home Affairs has faced questions before about permits and documents being issued improperly. Special investigating units have looked into cases where officials allegedly took money to help people who did not qualify. Mkhwanazi’s remarks suggest that the KwaZulu-Natal police are now treating some of these claims as a criminal matter that needs their own attention.

Residents in KwaZulu-Natal have long asked for clearer action on both crime and immigration. Mkhwanazi’s decision to speak openly about senior officials may increase pressure on Home Affairs to explain what controls are in place. For now, the police say they are looking into the claims and will follow the evidence wherever it leads.

Source: https://x.com/ewnreporter/status/2108528193502376032