Mkhwanazi Rejects Hawks Top Post Despite Government Push To Install Him — Source Confirms

Before sunrise on Wednesday, sources close to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation confirmed what Pretoria insiders had quietly discussed for days — Lieutenant-General Siphiwayinkosi Mkhwanazi had personally removed his name from consideration for the organisation’s highest command position. The decision stunned senior officials who believed his appointment was essentially finalised. Two well-placed individuals within the Justice cluster told this publication the announcement would have come within the week.

Mkhwanazi, who currently leads the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner’s office in Durban, allegedly received direct communication from within the Ministry of Police indicating his transfer to the Hawks’ national leadership structure was imminent. Cabinet-level discussions had reportedly advanced to a stage where administrative paperwork circulated among relevant departments. He refused the post anyway, citing undisclosed personal considerations that his office declined to elaborate on publicly.

Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo confirmed receiving no formal documentation regarding Mkhwanazi’s candidacy or withdrawal. “We cannot comment on personnel matters that have not been officially tabled through our structure,” Mbambo told this journalist during a telephonic exchange Wednesday afternoon. The Ministry of Police likewise issued no statement, and spokesperson Lirandzu Themba had not responded to detailed written questions by publication time.

The Hawks post became vacant following mounting pressure on the previous incumbent amid several high-profile investigations stalling without explanation. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration has faced sustained criticism over the slow pace of accountability prosecutions, particularly those targeting politically connected individuals implicated during state capture proceedings. Finding a credible, independent successor carries enormous reputational stakes for the entire criminal justice cluster.

Outside Durban’s provincial headquarters on Wednesday morning, a retired investigator who requested anonymity watched municipal workers sweep leaves near the entrance. “That man built real cases,” he muttered, adjusting his worn cap. “Whoever they put in that chair next better have the same spine.” The quiet outside the building felt heavier than usual, as though those inside already knew something had shifted irreversibly.

No replacement candidate has surfaced publicly, leaving the country’s premier crime-fighting body effectively headless at a moment when several landmark corruption prosecutions require decisive leadership. Who controls the Hawks determines which powerful names face courtrooms — and which breathe easier. The question nobody inside those government corridors will answer today is simply this: if Mkhwanazi walked away, what exactly did he see coming.