WATCH | Kohler Barnard in the spotlight: MPs demand recusal over crime intelligence leak

Cape Town – Tensions flared in Parliament after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard of leaking classified Crime Intelligence information.

Mkhwanazi told both the Madlanga Commission and Parliament that Kohler Barnard unlawfully disclosed top-secret details, which allegedly led to targeted attacks on the Crime Intelligence unit.

Kohler Barnard has dismissed the claims, calling them “outrageous, defamatory, and baseless,” and has demanded a public apology.

But Mkhwanazi stood firm, saying: “I’m apologising that the honourable member (Dianne Kohler Barnard; DA MP) forgets that she took an oath before South Africans in Parliament not to divulge the secrets of government. I can only apologise for that.”

[WATCH] General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi responds to DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard who had demanded an apology from him.

“I’m apologising that the honourable member (Dianne Kohler Barnard; DA MP) had forgotten the oath that she took an oath… according to her, valid only for the… pic.twitter.com/M5KQ9Pa4gF

— THE TRUTH PANTHER 🇿🇦 (@TheTruthPanther) October 7, 2025

Amid the escalating tensions, ANC Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli and MK Party MP David Skosana called for Kohler Barnard to be removed from the ad hoc committee investigating police corruption, arguing that her continued presence undermines the committee’s credibility.

[AD-HOC COMMITTEE HEARINGS]: Hon. Sibonelo Nomvalo proposed that a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA), Dianne Kohler-Barnard, who is allegedly implicated in Lt.-Gen. Mkhwanazi’s allegations, excuse herself from the Ad-Hoc Committee in light of Gen. Mkhwanazi’s allegations.… pic.twitter.com/1adZuJmdXI

— MK Party in Parliament (@MKParliament) October 7, 2025

The DA, however, has closed ranks. MP Ian Cameron defended Kohler Barnard, insisting she would not step down.

“No one is going to recuse themselves. We can’t be a kangaroo court,” Cameron said.

[ICYMI] “No one is going to recuse themselves…We can’t be a Kangaroo court.” The DA refuses to remove Dianne Kohler Barnard from the Ad Hoc Committee after MPs demand she be excused for being implicated by KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. #ParliamentAdhoc pic.twitter.com/CUzBbucaeV

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) October 8, 2025

Kohler Barnard was notably absent from Wednesday’s session as pressure mounts on the DA to act, with critics warning that the controversy could derail the high-profile corruption probe and further erode public trust in the committee.