Cover-ups, cocaine, illicit gems: 12 striking issues mark Mkhwanazi’s police infiltration scandal ‘anniversary’

South Africa has heard about multiple law enforcement secrets – from stolen cocaine and rare gems to fierce feuds and corrupt transactions – in the year since KwaZulu-Natal police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made staggering infiltration accusations that have totally reconfigured policing.

It has been a year since KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi sparked South Africa’s unprecedented law enforcement scandal by announcing that a drug cartel had infiltrated the criminal justice system, politics and private security.

Since 6 July 2025, several South African Police Service (SAPS) and other officers have been criminally charged and suspended, including this country’s highest-ranking cop, General Fannie Masemola.

There have been shootings, and a crossfire of countless accusations that show how fragmented South Africa’s law-enforcement structures are.

These accusations have emerged mainly from the two parallel hearings investigating Mkhwanazi’s initial allegations – the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and Parliament’s ad hoc committee.

Daily Maverick has picked out 12 key themes or issues – some serious, some offbeat – that have surfaced in the 12 months since Mkhwanazi held the press conference and made the seismic accusations.

1. Divided opinion

Some back him, and some are against him.