Government rejects claims Mkhwanazi is protecting Zulu-speaking criminals
South African government officials have dismissed allegations that KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi provided preferential treatment to Zulu-speaking criminals during recent unrest. The unrest was linked to protests against a Constitutional Court ruling regarding asylum applications.
Why it matters
The denial addresses concerns regarding ethnic bias and police impartiality in a volatile political climate, which is critical for maintaining public order.
Ask AI 4 min Acting national police commissioner Prof Firoz Cachalia and Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni have rejected claims that Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is shielding Zulu-speaking criminals.
The government has rubbished allegations that KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is protecting Zulu-speaking people and criminals amid protests over asylum applications.
The government was responding to claims that police in the province, under Mkhwanazi’s leadership, were giving preferential treatment to Zulu-speaking criminals in Durban during recent protests.
The allegations come amid violent demonstrations in KZN and Gauteng last week, during which several cars and houses were torched and shops looted.
The unrest followed protests calling for refugee centres to stop processing asylum applications.
The demonstrators oppose a July Constitutional Court ruling that removed procedural barriers to seeking asylum, including for people who entered South Africa irregularly, lacked asylum transit visas or missed reporting deadlines.
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