Police seize phones from Senzo Mchunu’s KZN home under court warrant

Police seized cellphones from suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu’s KwaZulu-Natal home during a search on Monday, 21 September. SAPS confirmed the operation on Tuesday, saying officers acted under a warrant granted by the High Court in Johannesburg.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said members of the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit carried out the search. He linked the warrant to an investigation into cases of defeating the ends of justice and fraud, among other matters, opened at Durban Central police station in 2025.

A search and seizure warrant allows investigators to take specified items. It is not a finding that the person whose property is searched has committed an offence.

Mchunu’s spokesperson, Sthembiso Mshengu, confirmed that officers took handsets identified by their IMEI numbers. Mshengu said Mchunu handed over the phones in the presence of his attorney and in line with the court’s directive.

The spokesperson also said this was the second time police had taken communication devices from Mchunu and claimed the first set had not been returned. Police did not address that claim in the statements reported on Tuesday.

The Citizen reported the SAPS and Mchunu spokesperson accounts on Tuesday night. SABC News separately reported the seizure and Mchunu’s confirmation. Neither report said that the search had resulted in a new charge against Mchunu.

The investigation’s next steps and the contents of the seized phones have not been made public.