Members of parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system have grilled former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) head Robert McBride over his remarks regarding KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
McBride appeared before the committee on Wednesday, facing intense questioning from MPs regarding his description of Mkhwanazi’s behavior as “inconsistent” after the 2020 killing of senior Ipid official Mandla Mahlangu.
During his testimony, McBride raised concerns regarding Mkhwanazi’s conduct. While Mkhwanazi and Mahlangu were “close friends”, McBride found it suspicious that Mkhwanazi was among the first to arrive at the scene of the shooting.
At the time, Mkhwanazi was assigned to the SAPS human resources department rather than an investigative unit. Furthermore, McBride claimed that Mkhwanazi failed to attend Mahlangu’s funeral despite their alleged bond.
“General Mkhwanazi was there, among the first — if not the very first — at the crime scene when Mahlangu was murdered, yet he didn’t go to the funeral,” McBride testified. “If he was there, he was hiding somewhere. He was not in the tent, nor was he at the cemetery.”
I don’t direct which way investigations go
— Former Ipid head Robert McBride
McBride further alleged that Mkhwanazi played an “undue and prosecutorial role” in attempts to disrupt and scuttle investigations into former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane.
ANC MP Xola Nqola pressed McBride on what exactly he was insinuating with these remarks. McBride maintained that the behavior represented a “big inconsistency.”
“It’s just an inconsistency. A big inconsistency,” McBride replied. “It’s something that any investigators worth their salt would question.”
MK Party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo also sought clarity on the matter. “You are making an insinuation that his failure to attend the funeral, contrasted with his presence at the crime scene, is inconsistent,” Nomvalo said.
McBride stood by his assessment, asserting that Mkhwanazi’s actions did not align with those of a grieving friend.
“The conduct was not the normal behavior of a person close to someone — to not attend a funeral or to take leave during a national emergency,” McBride asserted. “That was my conclusion by assumption.”
Nomvalo challenged this line of reasoning, arguing that it was improper to draw conclusions based solely on assumptions. Nomvalo further noted that Mkhwanazi had reportedly arrived at the scene only after being called by Mahlangu’s brother.
At the time of his death, Mahlangu was investigating high-profile corruption cases involving senior police officials, including Phahlane.
IFP MP Mangaqa Mncwango questioned why Mkhwanazi wasn’t charged on the matter.
“I think the process is still being looked at,” McBride responded. “I don’t direct which way investigations go. I don’t know where the matter is.”
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