Cachalia Must Act Decisively on Hawks’ KZN Head Amid Allegations of Corruption and Cartel Links

Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, 8 November 2025 — Public Interest SA is deeply disturbed by the continued inaction of Acting Minister of Police, Professor Firoz Cachalia, regarding the serious and damning allegations of corruption and criminal association levelled against the KwaZulu-Natal provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), Major General Lesetja Senona.

Nearly a month has passed since explosive testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry exposed Senona’s alleged links to criminal cartel figures, yet he continues to occupy his post — a position of immense influence over critical investigations, including those touching the very syndicates with which he is alleged to fraternise.

This inertia is both inexplicable and indefensible. If Minister Cachalia is genuinely committed to restoring the integrity of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the DPCI, he must match rhetoric with decisive action. The public can no longer tolerate a duplicity that sees those implicated in grave misconduct shielded under the guise of “due process,” while trust in law enforcement continues to erode.

Testimony at the Madlanga Commission implicated Senona in a web of association with one Vusimuzi Matlala — a figure currently facing charges that include multibillion-rand tender fraud, attempted murder, murder, and conspiracy to commit murder. The revelations suggest not only ethical impropriety but also a potential compromise of law enforcement operations in KwaZulu-Natal.

To allow such an individual to remain in charge of priority crime investigations is to invite the corrosion of institutional integrity from within. Minister Cachalia must not be seen to preside over a system where those who are meant to investigate crime stand accused of consorting with its perpetrators.

Cachalia, who recently courted controversy by calling for the disbandment of the Priority Crime Task Team (PKTT), risks being perceived as running with the hares while hunting with the hounds. South Africans deserve more than cosmetic reform — they deserve demonstrable integrity in policing.

“It beggars belief that a man facing such grave allegations remains at the helm of an elite crime-fighting unit. Minister Cachalia cannot claim to be cleaning house while leaving the stench of rot untouched. If he fails to act against compromised officers like Senona, he risks becoming complicit in the very decay he professes to confront.”— Tebogo Khaas, chairperson, Public Interest SA.

If the Acting Minister is sincere about his oft-stated commitment to accountability and ethical governance, then precautionary suspensions of implicated officials must be the minimum standard. The failure to act swiftly against tainted leadership signals tolerance — if not complicity — with the rot that continues to hollow out the DPCI and, by extension, the entire criminal justice system.

Public Interest SA calls on Minister Cachalia to immediately:

1. Suspend Major General Lesetja Senona pending the outcome of a full, independent investigation.

2. Institute disciplinary action or cause for such to be instituted against any senior official implicated in wrongdoing or compromised relationships with criminal elements.

3. Reaffirm the independence and credibility of the DPCI by ensuring that its leadership is above reproach and free from political or criminal influence.

Anything less than this will confirm the perception that the fight against corruption is selective and rhetorical — a performance of reform rather than its practice.

The time for equivocation has long passed. Every day that Senona remains in office is another day that public confidence in our law enforcement institutions is betrayed. South Africa cannot afford to have the guardians of justice themselves under a cloud of suspicion.

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Issued by: Public Interest SA

Enquiries: media@publicinterest.org.za