President Cyril Ramaphosa Explains Why He Fired Andrew Whitfield but Placed Senzo Mchunu on Leave

• President Cyril Ramaphosa explained his decision to fire the Democratic Alliance's Andrew Whitfield
• The president also noted why this was different from his decision to place Senzo Mchunu on special leave
• The uMkhonto weSizwe Party is currently appealing Ramaphosa's decisions relating to the Minister of Police

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

WESTERN CAPE – President Cyril Ramaphosa has explained why he chose to fire Andrew Whitfield, but place Senzo Mchunu on leave.

Whitfield, the former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, was removed from his post by the president on 25 June 2025. Whitfield's dismissal did not sit well with his party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which criticised the president for not taking action against African National Congress (ANC) ministers linked with corruption.

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On 13 July, Senzo Mchunu was placed on leave by Ramaphosa following allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner alleged that Mchunu had links to a known criminal kingpin, saying that there was evidence of political interference and corruption in the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has challenged the decisions made by the president in his address to the nation on 13 July, taking the matter up with the Constitutional Court.

How did Ramaphosa defend his decision?

In papers filed with the Constitutional Court, Ramaphosa said that the MK Party was drawing a flawed analogy between his decision to fire Whitfield and suspend Mchunu. The MK Party asked that the court set aside three of Ramaphosa’s decisions, including the one to place Mchunu on leave.

Ramaphosa defended himself in the court papers, saying that Whitfield violated the rules for the members of the executive and admitted to it, whereas he could not fire Mchunu on untested allegations.

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“Furthermore, the allegations against Mchunu are of the most serious type and therefore, warrant a proper process of investigation while Mr Mchunu does not exercise any powers. The result was achieved by placing him on special leave,” Ramaphosa noted.

What you need to know about Whitfield and Mchunu

• The DA criticised Ramaphosa for firing Whitfield and gave him 48 hours to act against ANC ministers.
• The DA withdrew from the upcoming National Dialogue in protest over Ramaphosa’s decision to fire Whitfield.
• The DA accused the ANC of double standards over the decision to remove Whitfield from his position.
• Ramaphosa placed Mchunu on special leave while also establishing a Commission of Inquiry.
• South Africans were annoyed after Ramaphosa said it would be unfair to fire Mchunu based on allegations alone.

Julius Malema claimed Ramaphosa and Mchunu are in the same faction

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Briefly News reported that Julius Malema shared his thoughts on why Ramaphosa didn’t fire Mchunu.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader claimed that Ramaphosa and the Minister of Police were in the same faction.

The president placed Mchunu on leave while bringing in Professor Firoz Cachalia as his acting replacement.

Source: Briefly News