GANSBAAI, Western Cape – The community of Gansbaai took to the streets in a fervent display of support for Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner who has made headlines with his explosive allegations of widespread corruption within the South African Police Service (SAPS). A large crowd marched to the local Gansbaai police station, delivering a powerful message to the police leadership: leave General Mkhwanazi untouched.
The demonstration, captured in a video that has since surfaced, shows a community impassioned and united behind the controversial general. Led by a speaker using a megaphone, the residents voiced their deep-seated frustrations with crime and corruption, which they believe Mkhwanazi is fighting on their behalf.
“General Mkhwanazi represents the hopeless and the poor people who are sick and tired of corruption in government,” the speaker declared to the crowd gathered before a line of police officers. He accused politicians of “collaborating with criminals to terrorize Black and Coloured communities.”
The core message of the march was a direct and unambiguous warning to the national police leadership, including a pointed reference to the Minister of Police.
“We want to bring this support, and we want to tell your superiors that you touch General Mkhwanazi, you touch us!” the speaker emphatically stated, drawing support from the assembled residents. “We will defend General Mkhwanazi with our body, with everything.”
The protest highlights the extent to which General Mkhwanazi’s recent testimony before parliament has resonated with communities on the ground. His allegations, which implicated senior police officials in colluding with criminals, appear to have positioned him as a populist hero in the eyes of many citizens weary of rampant crime and official malfeasance.
The marchers in Gansbaai explicitly linked the crime in their own town to the systemic corruption Mkhwanazi described. “The crime in our community, we’ve been saying for a long time, is brought by corrupt politicians and corrupt police officials within the service,” the speaker said.
In response to the community’s address, a senior female police officer at the Gansbaai station received their memorandum. “I take note of what you said,” she acknowledged, before appealing for public cooperation. “If criminal activity is happening, you report it. If you don’t report it, it cannot be investigated. Together we can make the difference.”
Her plea, however, was met with audible dissatisfaction from some in the crowd, who remained focused on their primary mission: to ensure that Lt General Mkhwanazi is protected as he continues his anti-corruption crusade. The event in this Western Cape coastal town underscores a growing public sentiment that views Mkhwanazi as a vital ally in the fight for a safer and more just South Africa.