Former Police Minister Bheki Cele has spoken about the growing debate around claims that South Africa’s justice system has been infiltrated. He said these are not new claims and that many senior officials have raised the same concerns before.
Cele was reacting to the recent remarks made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who said criminal networks had managed to enter and weaken the justice system, making it hard for some cases to be investigated or completed properly.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Cele said Mkhwanazi’s views were valid but not something the country was hearing for the first time. He explained that organised crime had always taken advantage of weaknesses in the justice system. He added that several past reports and investigations had already pointed out that certain areas of the system might have been compromised.
Mkhwanazi’s comments, made during a police oversight meeting, caused a strong reaction both in government and in law enforcement circles. His remarks led to calls for an independent investigation into whether some officials were working hand in hand with criminals.
Cele, who served as Minister of Police until early this year, said that the issue of infiltration was serious because it affected how much trust the public had in the justice system. However, he warned against painting the entire system as corrupt. He said people should focus on finding and removing those who are involved in wrongdoing rather than losing faith in the whole structure.
The National Prosecuting Authority and the Department of Justice have both said that they are not aware of widespread infiltration. They explained that they continue to work with police and other agencies to fight corruption. According to their spokesperson, they are improving internal checks and taking disciplinary action wherever needed to make sure the system remains clean.
Civil society groups have since asked Parliament to look into reforms that will make it safer for whistleblowers to come forward and to protect the justice system from political or criminal influence.
Cele said transparency and accountability were key to bringing back public trust. He called for cooperation among all parts of the security system and said South Africans needed to know that justice cannot be bought. He stressed that honesty and unity were needed if the country wanted to overcome the problem of infiltration.