National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola said the security for KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has been beefed up following allegations of political interference that he made on Sunday.
Masemola also said he did not sign anything authorising the closure of the political killings task force in KwaZulu-Natal.
The top cop said he is prepared to brief President Cyril Ramaphosa on Mkhwanazi’s allegations.
Masemola was speaking on Wednesday at the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) firearms destruction operation at Cape Gate Steel in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng.
Thousands of firearms destroyed
The SAPS destroyed 12 499 firearms. Of these, 9 748 were handguns, 1 334 were rifles, 872 were shotguns, and 45 were combination firearms.
The firearms, parts, and ammunition were seized during policing activities, including Operation Shanela, and subsequently forfeited to the state.
Some of the firearms are linked to completed cases involving violent crimes, including violence against women and children and cash-in-transit robberies, as well as firearms that were voluntarily handed over during the amnesty period.
“I am sure you [members of the media] have not seen any letter I signed to close the unit. I have not signed it. I never signed off on the closure of the [task force] unit,” said Masemola.
He was responding to Mkhwanazi’s claim that the political killings task team has been shut down.
He added: “Mkhwanazi’s security has been beefed up. In the past he received threats in KwaZulu-Natal, and he got security. His security has been beefed up.”
Masemola said that Major-General Solomon Makgato has been appointed as acting divisional commissioner for crime intelligence.
The appointment follows the June 26 arrest of the divisional commissioner for crime intelligence Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo and six others.
Makgato is the current head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations, also known as the Hawks, in the Western Cape.
Committees to review Mkhwanazi’s claims
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, has asked portfolio committees on police, justice, and constitutional development and the joint standing committee on intelligence to urgently consider allegations made by Mkhwanazi.
Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said the three committees must report back to the National Assembly after considering the allegations on an urgent basis.
“The Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, has today asked the portfolio committees on police, justice and constitutional development and the joint standing committee on intelligence to consider, on an urgent basis, in terms of their respective mandates, the wide-ranging allegations regarding security matters that have implications for the country’s national security, made by the KZN police commissioner, General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, and report back to the National Assembly,” said Mothapo.
Mothapo said Didiza decided that it would not be appropriate at this stage for parliament to hold a debate on Mkhwanazi’s allegations.
“In relation to the debate requested by two political parties, the speaker believes that it would not be appropriate to hold such a debate, as these allegations remain unsubstantiated at this stage,” said Mothapo.
Disbandment of task force
During his media briefing on Sunday, Mkhwanazi claimed interference in high-level investigations.
He claimed that his dealing with sensitive dockets, many of which implicated politicians, businesspeople, and rogue police officers, led to the disbandment of the political killings task team.
He accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and deputy national police commissioner for crime detection Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya of politically interfering by disbanding the task team.
Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu and Sibiya of disbanding the task team after it raided the home of controversial businessman and attempted murder-accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
He claimed a person called Brown Mogotsi, a comrade of Mchunu, communicated with the minister about disbanding the unit.
He also stated that WhatsApp messages exist between Matlala and Mogotsi, in which they allegedly discuss how to protect political interests and target investigators.
Mkhwanazi alleged that Mchunu interfered in police investigations involving Matlala.
