KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi says he does not have money to hire bodyguards for his family so their safety is no different from that of any other South African and can only be guaranteed by the police.
Mkhwanazi, who appeared before the parliament's ad hoc committee probing allegations of police interference and corruption within the criminal justice system, was being asked whether his family was being threatened and if they had enough protection.
“I don't have money to hire bodyguards for my family members
— Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner
Responding, Mkhwanazi said: “The safety of my family is the responsibility of police officers around the country. I said in the public before that I have family members in majority of these provinces of SA. The guarantee of their safety is up [to] the men and women in blue out there to provide security.
“I don't have money to hire bodyguards for my family members. It is impossible. I cannot do that, so their safety can only be guaranteed by men and women in blue that are out there that are supposed to protect everyone else.”
“Their safety is equal to the safety of every citizen,” he said, adding his family’s vulnerability to crime was the same as that of other citizens and therefore could not guarantee their safety.
“They (his family) are not different to anyone else. There is no special provision for them. I cannot guarantee whether they are safe or not safe.
“I cannot give you a 100% guarantee about their safety. It is what I am trying to fight for that the SAPS must be allowed to make sure that we protect the citizens, including my family members.”
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