Senzo Mchunu’s Chief of Staff Cedrick Nkabinde Claims Police Assaulted Brother in Botched Raid, Fears for His Life
Johannesburg – Cedrick Nkabinde, chief of staff to on-leave Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, has spoken out about a shocking police raid on his home, claiming officers assaulted his brother in a case of mistaken identity. Speaking at a media briefing in Sandton on Thursday, Nkabinde said he believes there is a “target on his back” after the operation, which took place last night.
He told reporters that the heavily armed team arrived to seize his electronic devices as part of an ongoing investigation, but the raid turned violent when they confused his brother for him. This comes amid wider probes into police corruption, with similar actions at the homes of Mchunu and former Gauteng crime intelligence boss Shadrack Sibiya. Nkabinde expressed deep fears for his safety, saying the events feel like harassment and could lead to worse harm before he testifies at key hearings.
The incident has raised serious questions about police conduct and possible abuse of power, especially as Nkabinde links it to efforts to silence him ahead of giving evidence. With Mchunu on special leave since last month over claims of meddling in police work, this raid adds fuel to the fire in South Africa’s ongoing fight against graft in law enforcement. Nkabinde, a former police officer himself, stressed that he is ready to clear his name but does not trust the force to handle things fairly.
Background to the Raid and Ongoing Investigations
The drama unfolds against a backdrop of high-stakes probes into corruption and interference in the South African Police Service (SAPS). Mchunu was placed on special leave last month after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused him of trying to disband a task team looking into political killings. Mkhwanazi also pointed fingers at Nkabinde, claiming he lacked qualifications for his job and was unemployed before Mchunu appointed him. He further alleged that Nkabinde introduced him to North West businessman Brown Mogotsi, a controversial figure linked to Mchunu.
Nkabinde hit back hard, calling these claims a “witch hunt” driven by a personal grudge. He revealed that he and Mkhwanazi were once close friends who partied together and visited each other’s homes. “The very same General Mkhwanazi was a very close friend of mine, we partied together. He would come to my house, I would go to his house … he knew where I was working and he used to come to my workplace,” Nkabinde said. He accused Mkhwanazi of now having a “personal vendetta” against him, aimed at tarnishing his name.
These allegations are being aired at Parliament’s ad hoc committee on police corruption and the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which is digging into criminality, political interference, and graft in the justice system. Nkabinde has reached out to both bodies through his lawyers, eager to testify and present his side. But he fears the raid was timed to grab and possibly destroy evidence on his devices that could disprove the claims against him and Mchunu.
Raids also hit other key figures on Thursday morning. Special Task Force and Crime Intelligence units descended on Sibiya’s home, seizing items as part of the same probe. Mchunu’s official residence was approached by officers, though they left without entering. These actions show the wide net being cast in the investigations, which stem from whistleblower tips and commission testimonies.
Details of the Botched Raid and Assault
Nkabinde painted a chilling picture of the Wednesday night raid on his flat. Around 15 to 20 officers, dressed in camouflage and wearing balaclavas, banged on the door with high-calibre rifles in hand. Nkabinde was not home, but his brother opened the door. The team immediately mistook him for Nkabinde, calling him by that name and forcing their way in.
“They demanded to search the flat without showing any warrant. When my brother is asking them to show a search warrant, they started to assault him with the firearms,” Nkabinde recounted. The officers beat his brother repeatedly as they turned the place upside down, searching for electronic gadgets like mobile phones and laptops. Only when the brother showed his ID did they realise their mistake and ease up on the assault.
But the ordeal did not end there. The team dragged the brother from the third-floor flat to their cars, assaulting him again along the way. They forced him to lead them to an estate where they thought Nkabinde was staying. When they could not get in, they drove back, dropping him off in a state of pain and terror. During the ride, the officers reportedly grumbled that they could not return empty-handed from KwaZulu-Natal. “We must get the chief of staff,” they said, according to Nkabinde.
His brother asked why they were after Nkabinde, and the reply was stark: they had been sent by National Commissioner Fannie Masemola to find him. Nkabinde described the experience as “deeply traumatic” for his brother, equating it to an attack on himself. “It means they were assaulting me, in a nutshell,” he said.
The next morning, around 7am, the same group showed up at Mchunu’s residence, parking at the gate but leaving when Nkabinde and others arrived. Nkabinde believes the whole operation was meant to intimidate and harass, especially since no warrant was shown at first. He is now opening a case against the officers for assault, intimidation, and kidnapping.
Nkabinde’s Fears and Call for Protection
Nkabinde did not mince words about his safety concerns. As a former cop, he knows the risks all too well. “I know the experience as a police officer myself, where in some instances, they can plant a firearm and shoot you, pretending as if you shot them. So, fearing for my life, it comes in that line,” he explained. He questioned why officers would hide their faces with balaclavas if the work was legitimate.
He made it clear he holds Masemola responsible if anything happens to him. “I want to tell South Africans that should anything happen to me, the national commissioner, General Masemola, will be responsible,” Nkabinde stated. He no longer trusts the police and insists any future interactions must go through his lawyers. “Should the police want to get hold of me, in the process of their investigations or a search and seizure, it will have to be done through my lawyers because I don’t trust them. I don’t feel safe,” he added.
Nkabinde worries that evidence on the seized devices – key to his defence at the Madlanga Commission and ad hoc committee – could be tampered with or deleted. He has asked his lawyers to ensure the gadgets are safeguarded until the hearings.
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