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'Political interference in police has always existed'
The Citizen
|January 16, 2026
Former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane says political interference in the South African Police Service (Saps) has always existed, intensifying significantly after the ANC’s 2007 conference.
CAMPAIGN. Former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane insists he is innocent of the charges. Picture: Kabelo Mokoena
(Kabelo Mokoena)
Phahlane appeared before parliament’s ad hoc committee probing criminality, political interference and corruption in the justice system on Wednesday.
Phahlane served as acting national police commissioner from October 2015 to June 2017, when he was asked to step aside.
He was later arrested and charged with fraud and corruption in February 2018.
His employment with the police formally ended in July 2020.
Phahlane’s subsequent legal challenge to his sacking was unsuccessful, with the Labour Court rejecting his unfair dismissal claim in October 2023.
This story is from the January 16, 2026 edition of The Citizen.
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