Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) leader Velenkosini Hlabisa has defended President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to appoint Professor Firoz Cachalia as the incoming Minister of Police, despite mounting criticism from other parties such as EFF, MK Party and DA, saying that he’s the right man for the job.

Hlabisa defended Cachalia’s appointment and argued that President Cyril Ramaphosa acted appropriately by naming an acting minister following the decision to place Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave following the growing scandal. “The IFP made a proposal through a press statement that Minister Mchunu must be placed on leave, which the president announced,” Hlabisa said during a media briefing following the IFP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting Monday. He continued, "There could have been no way to leave a vacancy." Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, was recently appointed acting minister by Ramaphosa for the month of July.

While temporarily overseeing the police ministry, Mantashe will keep his current position as portfolio manager. Following his retirement from the University of the Witwatersrand, Cachalia is expected to formally assume leadership of the police ministry on August 1. The decision has been branded "unconstitutional" by a number of opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance (DA), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party. Former President Jacob Zuma and the MK Party, as previously reported by IOL News, have filed an urgent application with the Constitutional Court to overturn Ramaphosa's actions, including the appointment of Cachalia, Mchunu's special leave, and the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry.

In their court filing, Zuma and the MK Party argue the decisions are “irrational, unconstitutional, and a blatant abuse of power” that undermines public trust in police leadership. They are requesting that the president be forced to make new appointments within 15 days and that the court overturn the president's decisions. By July 28, the case is expected to be heard. Meanwhile, the EFF said Ramaphosa violated Section 98 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the president may only assign ministerial duties to another Cabinet minister, not an external appointee. In a statement, the party stated, "The president's decision is therefore not only unlawful but a deliberate abuse of the supreme law of the land." The DA criticised the delay in placing Mchunu on leave, describing the allegations he faces as deeply concerning.

The party stated, "These allegations strike at the heart of South Africa's criminal justice system, involving senior law enforcement, prosecutorial, intelligence, and executive officials in organized crime and systemic corruption." Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection Shadrack Sibiya and Brown Mogotsi, an alleged information dealer, were accused of orchestrating the dissolution of the province's political killings task team, according to explosive claims made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Mkhwanazi provided WhatsApp messages, SAPS documents, and cellphone records claiming a coordinated effort to dismantle the task team, which was In a letter to National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola in December 2024, Mchunu claimed that the unit had "outlived its usefulness."

Meanwhile, Hlabisa confirmed that the IFP was consulted before the announcement of Cachalia’s appointment and believes it was both legal and necessary. The president got us involved. Additionally, I took the initiative to record the IFP's viewpoint, he stated. "We are accountable. When it is time to make a substantive contribution to the leader of the country, we do so.” He went on to say, "In politics, one day is too long." Today is July 21. Hlabisa stated, "We don't know what the country's situation will be by July 31." According to Hlabisa, Cachalia's appointment is in line with the IFP's request for Mchunu to take a temporary leave of absence during the investigation.

Additionally, Cachalia possesses the "knowledge, scope, skills, and understanding" required to effectively lead the ministry.