National commissioner of police General Fannie Masemola met with President Cyril Ramaphosa in February to discuss Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s decision to dissolve the SA Police Service’s political killings task force.
Masemola was speaking on Monday during the fourth day of the judicial commission of inquiry into criminality, political interference, and corruption at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria.
Retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga chairs the commission of inquiry.
Masemola informed advocate Terry Motau SC, the commission’s chief evidence leader, during his testimony that he met with Ramaphosa on February 1 to discuss Mchunu’s letter dated December 31, 2024, directing the dissolution of the political killings task team.
Mchunu is currently on special leave.
Masemola claimed to have discussed Mchunu’s letter and the political killings task team with Ramaphosa, highlighting that the president told him that he would speak with Mchunu regarding the letter.
“I did not ask the president whether he agreed with the disbandment by the minister or not,” Masemola told the commission.
“I told him the reasons for the disbandment were unknown to me, and the disbandment was wrong and done abruptly. The president said he will speak to the minister.”
Masemola found letter perplexing
According to Masemola, Ramaphosa later informed him that he had discussed Mchunu’s decision to disband the political killings task team with him.
However, he claimed that Ramaphosa had not informed him of the conclusion of his conversation with Mchunu about the letter, stating that the president did not go into details regarding the discussion and outcome of his meeting with Mchunu.
Masemola said he became aware of Mchunu’s letter on January 2 while on annual leave.
He said on December 28, 2024, he was attending an official funeral of a police captain in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, which was also attended by the police minister.
Following the funeral, he embarked on his annual leave, with the intention of returning to work on January 14. The leave was approved by Mchunu.
Masemola said on January 2 he was informed about Mchunu’s letter by a staff member in his office and by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
“I found the letter perplexing. The minister [Mchunu] and I did not discuss the political killings task team at the funeral or before I went on leave.
“The minister never expressed any unhappiness or dissatisfaction about the political killings task team.”
Task team’s success rate
Masemola claimed that after learning of the letter, he gave his office workers instructions to compile reports on the political killings task team’s activities for Mchunu to review.
He claimed to have instructed his office staff not to dissolve the political killings task team right away.
“I asked them not to disband anything. Maybe the plan was to disband the political killings task team while I was on leave.
“I have not given any directive to disband the political killings task team,” he said, stating that he renewed its mandate.
Earlier, Masemola said Mchunu’s letter to issue a directive for the immediate disbandment of the task team was “unlawful” and “an overreach” on the minister’s part.
He said the task team was successful, and its success rate was unmatched, citing that Mchunu’s view that the task team had no value and was not effective was false.
Masemola is the second witness following Mkhwanazi’s three-day testimony last week.
Masemola’s testimony will continue when the commission reconvenes on Tuesday at 9.30am.
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