SA police minister suspended over organised crime allegations

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu connected an contiguous "leave of absence" aft allegations of links to organised crimes were made against him.

In Sunday's unrecorded televised code to the nation, Ramaphosa besides announced a judicial committee would probe the claims, which helium said undermined the constitution and threatened nationalist security.

He added that instrumentality prof Firoz Cachalia had been appointed arsenic interim constabulary minister.

Mchunu denied immoderate wrongdoing, saying successful a connection that helium "stood acceptable to respond to the accusations" against him.

In his speech, the president said that the allegations against Mchunu, which see interference successful investigations into governmental killings and corruption wrong instrumentality enforcement agencies, "call for an urgent and broad investigation".

He said the judicial commission, led by the country's lawman main justice, would analyse each the claims.

The committee volition besides analyse existent and erstwhile constabulary officials, arsenic good arsenic members of the nationalist executive, Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa has been nether increasing nationalist unit to enactment swiftly implicit the high-profile case.

Mchunu, 67, is an influential fig successful Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) party.

Political analysts person suggested helium could tally for a enactment presumption astatine the ANC's adjacent elective league successful 2027.

In a statement, Mchunu said: "I invited and respect the president's determination and pledge my committedness to the process.

"Honour and integrity are the virtues I personally subscribe to and which we each request to marque efforts to uphold."

The allegations were archetypal made nationalist by KwaZulu-Natal provincial constabulary brag Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi past Sunday.

He claimed Mchunu was receiving fiscal enactment from an allegedly corrupt businessman to money his "political endeavours".

Gen Mkhwanazi besides elaborate a series of events helium claimed led to the "orchestrated" disbandment of a task unit that was acceptable up successful 2018 to analyse the sidesplitting of politicians, chiefly successful KwaZulu-Natal.

He said the team's investigations had uncovered links to high-profile individuals - including politicians, constabulary officials, and businesspeople tied to a cause cartel syndicate - and this is wherefore the squad was disbanded.

When helium dissolved the portion earlier this year, Mchunu said it was not adding worth successful the province, contempt galore cases remaining unsolved.

According to Gen Mkhwanazi, a full of 121 lawsuit files were allegedly removed from the portion connected the minister's acquisition and without the authorisation of his boss, the nationalist constabulary commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola.

"These lawsuit dockets have, since March, been sitting astatine the caput bureau ever since without immoderate probe enactment done connected them. Five of these dockets already had instructions to [effect] arrests," Gen Mkhwanazi said.

He besides alleged Mchunu had ties to a arguable businessman who was "financially supporting" the minister's governmental career.

Vusimuzi Matlala had a lucrative declaration with the constabulary earlier it was abruptly cancelled erstwhile helium was arrested for attempted execution successful May. Gen Mkhwanazi shared copies of substance messages and a outgo allegedly made by Mr Matlala to beryllium this.