South Africa: Cover-Ups, Cocaine, Illicit Gems

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.

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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.

Opinion remains divided on Mkhwanazi's intentions behind his 6 July 2025 press conference.

Some figures, including colleagues, have publicly made it clear that they do not trust him, but Mkhwanazi remains in the police service.

He has not been suspended, as have others embroiled in this broader scandal sparked by...