Mkhwanazi to Receive 2025 Newsmaker Award
Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner, will receive the National Press Club’s 2025 Newsmaker of the Year award tonight at a gala in Pretoria, in partnership with Unisa.
The award recognises Mkhwanazi’s dominance of the 2025 news cycle through his bold actions and public stance on crime. He rose to national prominence on 6 July 2025 when he alleged that a Gauteng-based drug cartel had infiltrated SAPS, the Police Ministry, Parliament, and intelligence structures. He implicated senior officials, including suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, in shielding criminals.
The revelations sparked outrage, parliamentary hearings, and a commission of inquiry. Mkhwanazi has been praised as a fearless leader confronting institutional corruption.