DA’s Dianne Kohler Barnard in hot seat over leaked crime intel — MPs demand immediate recusal |SAPS Inquiry
Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament (MP) Dianne Kohler Barnard and National Coloured Congress MP Fadiel Adams have responded after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made several allegations.
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Tensions escalated in Parliament as DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard faces mounting pressure to step down from the ad hoc committee probing police corruption after explosive allegations she leaked classified Crime Intelligence information.
The bombshell claims were made by KZN Police Commissioner, Lt-Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who told both the Madlanga Commission and Parliament that Kohler Barnard unlawfully disclosed top-secret intel.
This sparked targeted attacks on the Crime Intelligence unit.
Kohler Barnard has since hit back hard saying “These allegations are outrageous, defamatory, and baseless.” She also demanded an apology.
“The honourable member forgets that she took an oath before South Africans in Parliament not to divulge the secrets of government,” said Mkhwanazi. “I can only apologise for that.”
But that hasn’t stopped the political knives from coming out. ANC Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli led a chorus of calls for her recusal, backed by MK Party MP David Skosana.
“So we would like the DA and the member concerned to consider withdrawing her membership from the committee to protect all of us,” Ntuli said.
Skosana added bluntly that she must account for all the allegations against her.
The drama unfolded during and after Mkhwanazi’s testimony late Tuesday and into Wednesday morning — with proceedings already bogged down by delays and disputes over affidavits and evidence protocols.
The DA has so far closed ranks. DA MP Ian Cameron defended Kohler Barnard, saying: “No one is going to recuse themselves.” She was notably absent from Wednesday’s session.
Behind the scenes, pressure is building on the DA to take a stance: either pull Kohler Barnard from the committee or risk further backlash as the high-profile corruption probe continues under intense public scrutiny.
With Mkhwanazi still on the witness stand, this controversy threatens to derail the entire investigation.
The committee’s integrity and Kohler Barnard’s political future hang in the balance.
Meanwhile, Mkhwanazi implicated NCC MP Fadiel Adams at the Madlanga Commission for having access to crime intelligence classified information and handled it “recklessly”.
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