A probe into alleged links between politicians and crime syndicates in South Africa began on Wednesday (September 17). The judicial commission, announced by President Ramaphosa, was launched after KwaZulu-Natal's top police official, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya of interfering in sensitive police investigations. Mkhwanazi alleged that they had ties to criminal and drug cartels. Both Mchunu and Sibiya have denied the allegations and have been suspended. The probe aims to investigate the extent of the threat to the country's criminal justice system, which Mkhwanazi believes is at risk of total collapse.