Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, whose KwaZulu-Natal home was raided by police on Monday, 22 September 2026. Image Mlungisi Louw
Police raid Senzo Mchunu’s KwaZulu-Natal home on Monday, 22 September 2026, seizing his cellphone under a Johannesburg High Court search and seizure order. Officers targeted a specific device identified by its IMEI number. Mchunu is on special leave from his position as Police Minister. He confirmed he handed over the phone voluntarily in the presence of his attorney from Werkmans Attorneys.
The raid marks the second time law enforcement has seized electronic devices from Mchunu’s home. Police carried out the first search and seizure in October 2025. His spokesperson, Mshengu, noted that the original set of devices has still not come back. “It must be noted that this is the second time police have seized these communication tools without having returned the first set,” Mshengu said.
Furthermore, Mchunu’s legal team responded swiftly. His attorney Sandile July sent a legal letter to police demanding they cease what he described as a campaign of intimidation and defamation against his client. July also requested a copy of the search warrant to challenge its validity. Mchunu faces no formal charges at this stage and is presumed innocent.
Police Raid Senzo Mchunu Home Part of Wider SAPS Investigation
The raid on Mchunu’s KZN home took place on the same morning that police searched the Centurion home of suspended SAPS Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya. In addition, between 15 and 20 officers arrived at the home of Mchunu’s chief of staff, Cedrick Nkabinde, the previous evening. The coordinated operations suggest investigators are pursuing a broad network of individuals connected to alleged interference in police operations.
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola authorised the operations. Investigators sought mobile phones and laptops as potential evidence. Brigadier William Kunene listed Mchunu, Sibiya, businessman Brown Mogotsi, and businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala as suspects. The suspicion relates to alleged attempts to disband a provincial killings task team. Moreover, messages allegedly from Matlala’s devices formed part of the basis for the operations.
President Cyril Ramaphosa placed Mchunu on special leave in July 2025, following allegations by KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu of political interference in police operations and claimed he aided a criminal network known as the “big five cartel.” Additionally, Mkhwanazi alleged Mchunu had the Political Killings Task Team disbanded to protect criminal elements. Mchunu denies all of these allegations.
Consequently, those revelations prompted the establishment of the Madlanga Commission. The commission is a public inquiry examining how police actors and criminal networks allegedly infiltrated state intelligence, the judiciary, the police service, and the National Prosecuting Authority. Several witnesses at the commission have named Mchunu during testimony. As a result, he has also testified before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee, which investigates alleged interference in the justice system.
Sibiya Remanded as Police Raid Senzo Mchunu Probe Widens
Investigators describe Sibiya as an alleged ally of Mchunu. Sibiya appeared in the Randburg Magistrates Court on Monday, where the court denied him bail and sent him to Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility. The charges against him include grooming a 16-year-old between July and August 2026, as well as raping an 18-year-old at a Sandton hotel in May 2026. His next court appearance is on 29 September 2026.
Lazarus Maumela, who describes himself as Bishop Lawrence Maumela and a friend of Sibiya, spoke outside Randburg Magistrates Court on Monday. He suggested the raids and charges were politically motivated, describing both Mchunu and Sibiya as victims of ANC internal power politics and succession battles within the SAPS. However, investigators have not responded to those claims. The operations on Monday proceeded under valid High Court warrants.
Mchunu’s spokesperson confirmed the minister plans to address developments publicly. No further statement had come through at the time of publication. The investigation continues as multiple strands of the broader probe into alleged SAPS interference move forward simultaneously.