Tuesday 3 November 2026 · Updated 13:49
What We Know

"Mkhwanazi and the Hawks: Cabinet still to decide"

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia wants KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to head the Hawks. The law says Cabinet must agree first.

By Staff Reporter · Published · Updated

The Union Buildings in Pretoria seen across a paved road under a clear blue sky
File photo: the Union Buildings, Pretoria (2024). Illustrative. Photo: Ruby D-Brown / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has asked Cabinet to agree to the appointment of Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as national head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), known as the Hawks (Government statement). Mkhwanazi is the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner (The Citizen).

Under section 17CA of the South African Police Service Act, the police minister appoints the head of the Hawks with Cabinet’s concurrence, and the appointment is then reported to Parliament. The statement of 29 October said Cachalia had submitted a Cabinet memorandum, which “will be presented at the earliest opportunity during a Cabinet sitting” (Government statement).

President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “The name of General Mkhwanazi has been put forward; it will go to Cabinet, Cabinet will be meeting, and when Cabinet has decided, the announcement will be made” (The Citizen; IOL).

Why it matters
  • What changed: the government has named its preferred candidate for the head of the Hawks, the police unit that investigates organised crime, serious corruption and commercial crime.
  • Who is affected: the Hawks, the people and cases it investigates, and the public.
  • What happens next: Cabinet has to concur before the appointment is made, and it must then be reported to Parliament.
What we know
  • Cachalia said the Hawks had been led by an acting head for two years, that this officer was retiring, and that the post had been advertised twice without a suitable candidate being found (The National).
  • Acting government spokesperson Nomonde Mnukwa said the next Cabinet meeting was expected around 25 November, but could not confirm whether the appointment would be on the agenda (The National).
  • Private investigator Paul O’Sullivan has threatened legal action if the appointment goes ahead. Police ministry spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi confirmed the ministry had received his warning (The National).
What we don't know yet
  • When Cabinet will consider the memorandum, or what it will decide. As of 13:50 on Tuesday, no decision had been announced.
  • Whether the threatened legal challenge will be filed.
Sources and evidence trail
Update log
  • 13:00, 3 November: first version, checked against the government statement and the reports linked above.

Official source: https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/acting-minister-firoz-cachalia-seeks-cabinet-concurrence-appointment-lt

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