Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who is currently on special leave, has not submitted a phone recording he promised as evidence. He had told a parliamentary committee he would provide the audio to support his claim that KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi threatened him.
The committee chairperson, Soviet Lekganyane, confirmed that the promised recording was never received. He stated that it was Mchunu who had initially insisted the committee needed to hear it.
When questioned about the missing evidence, Mchunu changed his account. He suggested the threatening part of the conversation may not have been recorded at all and that his office only had a “reference” to it. He then challenged the committee to call his chief of staff to testify about the incident.
EFF leader Julius Malema responded by stating that the recording does not exist and that Mchunu himself had seemingly never heard it. The committee is left with the minister’s unverified claim as the investigation continues.