While everyone was enjoying their festive season with their families this time last year, very serious considerations were taking place inside the head of police minister currently put on leave Senzo Mchunu.
The man, alone in his version, but with his cronies according to the version of his detractors, had his head racing, contemplating whether or not to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
But not only that, that bald head was extremely busy, because Mchunu was also toying with freezing the filling of vacancies within Crime Intelligence, especially in the provinces.
Pulled the trigger on New Year’s Eve
Days later, the man was brave enough to pull the trigger on New Year’s Eve. He carried out both decisions he had been thinking about deeply since around Christmas.
His decision would shape the new agenda for the second half of 2025. After those affected by his decision, namely KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and national police commissioner Gen. Fannie Masemola went ballistic and almost collapsed the entire criminal justice system with a single daring move.
Masemola and Mkhwanazi had been against Mchunu’s decision that he was thinking about from around Christmas to implementation on New Year’s Day.
When the decision was announced, Masemola was in fact on leave. His deputy, Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya, was holding the fort.
It looks like Mchunu, during his thinking process days before implementing, had underestimated Mkhwanazi, Masemola and CI boss Dumisani Khumalo.
He was high on Christmas and festive craze and wanted to start the New year with a bang.
Greatest miscalculation of his career
Masemola, Khumalo and Mkhwanazi were always going to be directly affected by the decision. But Mchunu’s wisdom told him to forge ahead without consulting them nonetheless. Probably because “there is nothing they can do, I am in charge”.
It turned out to be the greatest miscalculation of his political career. Because thee fightback troika, now also colloquially know as the German Cut faction, went totally nuclear. And they are now the reason Mchunu is at home, after being placed of special leave.
Khumalo was affected because he was heading CI. Mchunu said no more new filling of vacancies until further notice, while also the Project leader for the PKTT. Mkhwanazi felt attacked by the disbandment of the PKTT, which operated under his KZN jurisdiction.
Masemola as the accounting officer for all police matters, also got offended by Mchunu’s decisions, which were plotted days before the New Year.
The three aggrieved top cops would launch several fight back campaigns seeking to get the decision reversed.
Digging himself even deeper
But they could not get the attention they sought, especially from Mchunu’s makhulu baas, President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Mchunu’s further mistake, along his allies within police management, was to continue fighting the three. Thus culminating in the arrest of Khumalo in June this year.
At this time, both warring factions with Masemola, Mkhwanazi and Khumalo on the red corner and; Mchunu and Sibiya on the blue corner, had reached a point of no return.
The German Cut faction went for a missile that it coded to land directly at Mchunu’s yard on July 6. This was when, unbeknown to everyone, Mkhwanazi hosted a Sunday press briefing. In it he alleged political interference into police work and endemic corruption within the entire criminal justice system. And he placed all of this at Mchunu’s doorstep.
Famous press conference
The press conference changed the game. It led to the establishment of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry to probe Mkhwanazi’s claims and the parliamentary Ad-Hoc Committee into he same matters.
The man who was plotting around Christmas and Boxing Day last year had fallen. He asked to be placed on special leave while these two processes unfold.
Until both the Ad-Hoc Committee and Madlanga Commission, both of which processes make for epic movie scripts, took a break for the holiday season, the German Cut faction controlled the narrative.
This scribe wonders what is going in Mchunu’s head this time around? It is most probably how he can try to change the narrative of the Ad-Hoc Committee and Madlanga Commission to his favour when the two platforms reopen next year.
