National commissioner of police General Fannie Masemola claims that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who is presently on special leave, sent a letter dissolving the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team without consulting him.
According to Masemola, Mchunu also failed to confer with Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, the project leader of the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team, and provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Khumalo is the national head of the SA Police Service crime intelligence.
Masemola was speaking on Monday during the fourth day of the judicial commission of inquiry into criminality, political interference, and corruption.
The commission’s hearing, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, is taking place at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria.
Shocking and surprising
Masemola described Mchunu’s letter dated December 31, 2024, in which he instructed the task team to be dissolved, as “shocking” and “surprising” in his testimony to advocate Terry Motau SC, the commission’s chief evidence leader.
He said the “narrative that the task team was not effective was completely false”.
“In his letter, the minister says the political killings task team has no value. I do not know where that statement comes from. I do not know what assessment was done to arrive at the conclusion that it added no value,” Masemola said.
“The minister did not consult me, General Masemola, and General Khumalo on the political killings task team. Nobody knows the work of the task team better than them. I wonder who he [Mchunu] consulted before deciding to disband the task team.
“It is completely false to say that the task team is not effective. If the minister had made himself available for a briefing on the task team, he would not have disbanded it.”
Masemola is the second witness to testify following Mkhwanazi’s three-day testimony before the commission last week.
Phases of the commission
According to Motau, the commission will take place in three stages. Phase one placed Mkhwanazi’s “untested allegations” before the commission of inquiry.
Motau said last week that phase one would hear more testimony from witnesses who would corroborate the allegations made by Mkhwanazi.
“These witnesses include, but are not limited to, national commissioner of police General Fannie Masemola; members of the South African Police Service’s political killings task team; detectives involved in the investigations; prosecutors; and various experts,” said Motau.
Phase two of the commission of inquiry would hear testimony from individuals and institutional representatives implicated by Mkhwanazi’s statements and evidence.
Motau said Mchunu would be invited or, if necessary, compelled to appear before the commission of inquiry to provide testimony.
Motau added that in the third and final phase of the hearings, the commission would hear from Mkhwanazi again, along with other important witnesses, to discuss the views and counterclaims made by those involved in the earlier phase.
The commission continues.
