Police executed a Gauteng High Court search-and-seizure warrant at suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s KwaZulu-Natal home on Monday, September 21, 2026, seizing a cellphone tied to specific IMEI numbers. It marks the second device seizure from Mchunu since a first raid in October last year, his spokesperson said.
Mchunu handed over the handset himself, in front of his attorney, at his private family residence. His spokesperson, Sithembiso Mshengu, said the minister complied fully with the court’s directive, describing him as a law-abiding citizen
who acted in the presence of his attorney
and in line with the directive of the court
, according to the statement IOL published on Tuesday.
Officers from the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit carried out the operation under a warrant granted by the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, News24 reported. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed an operation had taken place at a Cabinet minister’s house and tied it directly to an existing criminal case.
This is part of an ongoing police investigation on cases of defeating the ends of justice and fraud, among other charges, which were opened in 2025 at Durban Central police station.
Colonel Robert Netshiunda, KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson
A Second Seizure, and the First Devices Still Missing
This wasn’t the first time officers walked away with Mchunu’s communication devices. Mshengu confirmed to multiple outlets that police had already seized a first set of phones, and that those devices had not yet been returned when Monday’s warrant produced a second handset. Mchunu’s own statement promised more explanation soon: Minister Mchunu will address these developments and many other matters that evolve around his name in the coming weeks.
Netshiunda, describing the operation to eNCA, called it a normal Investigative process
tied to the same defeating-the-ends-of-justice and fraud case opened at Durban Central police station last year. eNCA and News24 both date the first raid to October last year, placing Monday’s operation roughly eleven months later.
Why the Warrant Named IMEI Numbers
The warrant did not simply authorize a general search. It targeted cellular phones identified by specific IMEI numbers, according to both IOL and Briefly News. That level of specificity suggests investigators already knew which device or devices they wanted before officers ever arrived at the KwaZulu-Natal property. Neither the minister’s statement nor police disclosed what they expect the phone to reveal, or which unit is leading the probe.
Mshengu’s statement, released September 22, 2026, and covering Monday’s operation, offered no detail on the investigation’s substance. It didn’t need to. The IMEI specificity does the talking.
Mchunu’s Suspension Predates the Raids
Mchunu has been on special leave since July 2025, after allegations surfaced linking him to organised crime groups, IOL reported. eNCA framed the same suspension around allegations of political interference within SAPS. Briefly News added that taxpayers have been covering two ministerial salaries since then, with Professor Firoz Cachalia appointed as the acting minister in Mchunu’s absence.
The Public Reaction Briefly News Captured
Social media reaction, gathered by Briefly News, ranged from approval to pointed skepticism about whether deleted data can really be recovered. Samie Chhipa wrote, Bathong, South Africa is working seriously this time. Kuzokhala madoda.
Tabisa Ndamase was blunter: You delete, we retrieve.
Others tied the raid to a wider narrative around senior police figures. Mutuku Yitumbu wrote, His comrade has become a resident of Kgosi Mampuru immediately.
Thato Modisane, referencing top police leadership by surname, said: It is pouring heavily on my comrades. This is Mkhwanazi, Khumalo and Masemola era.
Jay Tambekeni added: All Mkhwanazi wanted were his dockets.
None of that commentary comes from police or Mchunu’s camp — it’s public reaction, not confirmed investigative detail. What remains unconfirmed, across every source, is which specific fraud or defeating-the-ends-of-justice allegation the seized phone is meant to substantiate, and when the first batch of devices, still unreturned, might come back.