In early 2025, then police minister Senzo Mchunu referred allegations of Crime Intelligence procurement irregularities, as well as the hiring of Brigadier Dineo Mokwele, to the intelligence watchdog, the Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI), for investigation.

Mchunu later allegedly flouted protocol and shared a confidential IGI report, to which even the Madlanga Commission does not have official access, with the Investigating Directorate Against Corruptionâs (Idac) chief investigator, Dylan Perumal, the commission heard on Tuesday, 11 August 2026, during Idac prosecutor Drushantha Ramsamyâs testimony.

The IGIâs investigation and subsequent charges against Crime Intelligence leaders, including former boss Dumisani Khumalo, were allegedly part of what appears to be an orchestrated campaign to sideline top cops, including national police commissioner Fannie Masemola.

The IGI report was later leaked to the media as the allegations against Khumalo and Masemola mounted.

Ramsamyâs testimony before the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday raised further questions about Mchunuâs role in Idacâs targeting of Khumalo and Masemola.

Charges against Khumalo regarding Mokweleâs appointment have been provisionally withdrawn, while Idac officials have faced scrutiny for how Masemola was charged in connection with Vusimuzi âCatâ Matlalaâs Medicare24 contract.

Crime Intelligence in the crosshairs

Idac was told in January 2025 that the IGI report could not be shared while its investigation was still under way. Yet, according to Ramsamy, Mchunu later arranged for it to be flown to Perumal in Eastern Cape. Perumal then shared it with Ramsamy via WhatsApp.

âThe IGI Act prescribed procedures for sharing such information, while [Idacâs] retired advocate Paul Louw had explained that specific channels had to be followed to obtain an IGI report,â Ramsamy testified.

Mchunuâs involvement adds another layer to the commissionâs scrutiny of his relationship with Idac.

On 5 August, Ramsamy testified that former Idac head Andrea Johnson had held meetings with Mchunu, including one in January 2025, following which Johnson said the minister âwanted to clean SAPS and Crime Intelligenceâ.

Idac subsequently charged Khumalo and other Crime Intelligence officials over Mokweleâs appointment, but the commission heard that Idac went beyond the complaint by National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams that started it all to launch an investigation that appeared to be a fishing expedition.

Johnson, Perumal and suspended Crime Intelligence leader Feroz Khan have been linked to driving the campaign against the Crime Intelligence officials. While Mchunuâs role is under scrutiny, he has strongly denied getting involved in factional Crime Intelligence âwarsâ.

Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa agreed to Andrea Johnson vacating her post with immediate effect, waiving the three-month notice period that would ordinarily have applied. She resigned after failing to defend Idacâs decision to prosecute the Crime Intelligence leaders.

Perumal demands report

In January 2025, Matthew Sesoko, Idac head of investigations and operations, arranged a meeting with the IGI over ongoing Crime Intelligence investigations.

At the meeting, advocate Jayashree Govender and another member of the IGI legal team told Ramsamy that IGI could not share information from investigations that were still under way. Ramsamy said the IGI explained that it operated under a separate legislative mandate and that information-sharing was subject to prescribed procedures.

The meeting quickly became tense. Ramsamy testified that Perumal became âagitatedâ, prompting Govender to tell him that his âcowboy tacticsâ would not work with the IGI.

She said Perumal even wanted Govender arrested for refusing to assist Idac, forcing Ramsamy to pull out the IGI Act and explain the legal restrictions.

Eight months later, after the IGI had completed its report, the investigation resurfaced.

Ramsamy testified that in September 2025, Perumal told her and two other advocates that Mchunu had arranged for someone to fly to Eastern Cape with a hard copy of the IGI report to share with Perumal.

Ramsamy said she understood that the report had been provided to Mchunu by the IGI, but could not say under what authority. What she did know, she testified, was that the report âwas not supposed to come to us in that way via the ministerâ.

Ramsamy brought hard copies of the report to the commission, but it remained largely off limits to Madlanga as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had not yet authorised the commission to use the report.

Evidence leader advocate Advocate Lee Segeels-Ncube stressed that this was the first time anyone at the commission had seen the report.

Commissioner advocate Sesi Baloyi, SC, then asked Ramsamy what complaint IGI had been investigating. Ramsamy said she could explain only once she had obtained consent from the NPA and authorisation from the National Director of Public Prosecutions.

Idacâs criminal charges against Khumalo and other Crime Intelligence members are largely believed to be behind KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanaziâs decision to hold his explosive 6 July 2025 press conference.

Mkhwanaziâs main accusation about Mchunu was that on 31 December 2024, he issued a directive to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), set up in 2018, to shield politically connected members of a criminal syndicate from prosecution.

Because of a persistent cough, Ramsamy will continue giving evidence on Friday, 14 August. DM