Mkhwanazi accuses DA’s Barnard of fueling attacks against Crime Intelligence

KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has accused DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard of breaking the law and inciting attacks against the Crime Intelligence unit.

Mkhwanazi made the comments at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, held at the Bridgette Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria.

The commission of inquiry is chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.

Mkhwanazi on Thursday told the commission that Barnard used classified intelligence to launch probes and fuel attacks against the Crime Intelligence unit.

He said Barnard was a member of parliament for a long time and ought to understand the rules of how to behave regarding certain issues.

"What we see here is a person who has a legal obligation to keep her mouth shut and go to the joint standing committee and present and ventilate and hold the division account. But she does not use that platform, but goes publicly and discloses this," he said.

In an interview with the SABC on Thursday evening, Kohler Barnard said: "For it to be suggested that I am somewhere part of a criminal syndicate is absurd. I quoted exactly from what was already all over the news. I had no secret information other than what is within the public domain and as a normal MP I had every right to do so. I absolutely will not pull myself out of that committee, I've done nothing wrong. I haven't leaked anything. I followed up what was in the public domain. I will not be driven out and silenced by someone who has made these baseless allegations."

Mkhwanazi further accused National Coloured Congress MP Fadiel Adams of accessing crime intelligence classified information and handling it “recklessly”.

Mkhwanazi said the sensitive intelligence was intended exclusively for vetted members of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence, a parliamentary body tasked with overseeing intelligence services. Notably, MP Adams is not a member of this committee.

Adams serves as an MP on parliament’s Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation and Portfolio Committee on Police. 

“Adams does not serve on that committee, yet he reportedly accessed and recklessly handled this intelligence, including sharing it publicly,” said Mkhwanazi.

The police commissioner emphasised that Adams' actions had a direct impact on the work of the KZN Provincial Political Task Team (PKTT), potentially compromising ongoing investigations.

Mkhwanazi detailed that Adams had opened three criminal cases in Cape Town in 2024, followed by similar cases lodged in Gauteng. 

He said Adams also had sent an email to suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu complaining about the service. 

However, Mkhwanazi argued these complaints lacked substantive criminal elements and instead focused on internal SAPS vetting procedures - a matter Adams should not have had jurisdiction over due to the classified nature of the information involved.

According to Mkhwanazi, the intelligence accessed by Adams included unverified allegations that SAPS was manipulating its vetting processes, and that funds from a classified secret account were allegedly being misused to purchase vehicles for the PKTT.

Mkhwanazi pointed out that Adams could not provide any evidence to substantiate these claims and had no official access to detailed financial records of the secret fund, reinforcing concerns over improper access and political interference.

“These are classified matters. Adams’ allegations are based on incomplete information and are being assessed through formal criminal investigations,” Mkhwanazi added.

In a Newzroom Afrika interview, Adams said: "Certain documentation was slipped under my office door. I had to read it three times because it was unbelievable. I decided here might be a case for criminality, so I took it to the nearest police station. If general Mkhwanazi feels you have top secret crime in this country then he must step forward and say so, I certainly do not buy into that narrative. This country is tired of crime."

Cape Times