Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has publicly criticised KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, warning him not to implicate the party in internal police disputes.

Speaking at the EFF’s national voter registration launch at Gandhi Square in Johannesburg on Saturday (21 March), Malema said Mkhwanazi should not drag him into conflicts with Maj Gen Feroz Khan, who is attached to crime intelligence and who Mkhwanazi has accused of causing problems in the police force.

Mkhwanazi has appeared before a parliamentary ad hoc committee and the Madlanga Commission in recent months, where he testified about high-level corruption and political interference within the South African Police Service (SAPS).

“Mkhwanazi is fighting General Khan. And every time he fights General Khan he drags the EFF name. He drags the CIC’s name to fight General Khan. Let him fight Khan if they have got their own issues and leave the EFF out of their nonsense, because EFF is not part of any nonsense they are fighting about in the police [sic],” Malema said.

“He must never think he can blackmail or threaten anyone. We are not scared of policemen. When we joined the struggle we were taught not to be scared of a policeman. We have not done it when we were young, we are not going to do it when we are old,” he told attendees.

A parliamentary ad hoc committee had been tasked with investigating allegations made by Mkhwanazi during a press conference in July last year concerning police misconduct, tender issues and political interference in the police. The committee has run parallel with the Madlanga Commission and wrapped up the last of its hearings on 18 March.

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During the ad hoc committee hearing this week, Mkhwanazi also testified that Malema was the one who arranged a meeting between himself and suspended deputy national commissioner for crime detection Lt Gen Shadrack Sibiya. Mkhwanazi described the meeting as attempted peace talks, which he said would never succeed because he considers Sibiya a criminal. He has linked Sibiya to corruption, the obstruction of justice and having ties to alleged drug cartels.

The denunciation marks a shift in tone from Malema, who has previously praised Mkhwanazi as a “hero” fighting criminality and offered him political support against pressure. In July last year, Malema invited Mkhwanazi to join the EFF should he be fired from his position. However, Malema has also questioned Mkhwanazi during parliamentary proceedings regarding proper procedure for submitting evidence.