EFF leader Julius Malema came to the defence of South African Police Service (SAPS) chief financial officer Lt-Gen Puleng Dimpane during her explosive testimony at the Kgoši Mampuru Correctional Facility in Tshwane on Monday.
Malema intervened after evidence leaders repeatedly interrupted Dimpane while she was testifying before the Ad Hoc committee investigating allegations arising from KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s claims of political interference in the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) and law enforcement in general.
Evidence leaders put it to Dimpane that on-leave police minister Senzo Mchunu presented the committee with a commentary note authored by the CFO, which was used as evidence that the PKTT was too expensive to be allowed to continue. The committee heard that the information note was drafted before Mchunu took office in July 2024.
Commentary note was to request funding
“I did not give anyone permission to utilise that information note,” she said.
“That information note was … requesting funding from the project leader to the national commissioner. And it came to my table to confirm if funding is available. I was shocked to hear about that information note being utilised in evidence in this regard. Nobody has ever asked me about the context of that particular comment that I had made on this information note. Nobody.”
When Dimpane was interrupted mid-response, Malema pushed back.
“There was a point which she was trying to articulate which she feels very strong about. And she was interrupted,” he said.
Malema interjects, defends CFO
“We must allow her to finish that ventilation. This might be a platform where she feels she needs to express herself. And she has been sitting with the matter. She must be given that opportunity.”
Committee chairperson Soviet Lekganyane concurred and instructed that Dimpane continue uninterrupted.
With the Malema moment having cleared the floor, Dimpane delivered a full defence of her role as CFO.
“I wanted to indicate that this is one of the many information notes or funding requests that will come to our table… I get to be shocked when this information is utilised as evidence. And trying to portray a picture as if I was advocating for the disbandment of the political task team,” she said.
“It is taken out of context. And I believe that this is an important platform to then deal with the context in terms of this information note. I wish to state that I did not give anyone permission to use that or give anyone the physical document in this regard to use in their evidence.”
Permanent structure mooted for team
Dimpane said the PKTT requested R94-million just before the 2024/25 financial year. And she agreed with national commissioner Lt-Gen Fannie Masemola that R20-million would be allocated to allow for budget planning for 2025/26.
“It’s been five years, and clearly the team is dealing with a problem that does not want to go away. For us to be able to resource this team properly, let’s have a permanent structure in KwaZulu-Natal,” she said.
“Of course, the national commissioner has different views to say, ‘Not localised in KwaZulu-Natal. Perhaps, when we deal with this and come to that decision, it might be a team that is national. And one that is able to deal with similar problems in other provinces’.”
Before her interruption, Dimpane had already testified that she never called for the PKTT to be scrapped. And instead she lobbied for permanence.
Temporary structure handling permanent problem
“I have had conversations with the national commissioner to say, my understanding is that a task team is established for a period for a specific reason and it is withdrawn. But with the PKTT, we have noted that it is clearly dealing with something that is permanent,” she said.
The CFO told the committee that the PKTT submitted funding requests almost every three months over five years.
“For us, from a budgetary point of view, it becomes challenging when you receive applications almost every three months for five years. You are unable to budget properly and unable to project properly. It may be necessary that perhaps this becomes a permanent structure to deal with a permanent problem that they are seemingly dealing with,” she said.
Dimpane said she even recommended that the permanent unit be placed under Mkhwanazi.
“I even made suggestions to say, let us task our organisational development to put together a permanent structure and we give General Mkhwanazi in KwaZulu-Natal to deal with this permanent problem. Because for five years we can’t continue like this from a budgeting point of view,” she said.
“If it is a permanent structure, then you are able to resource it properly. You are able to budget and plan for it properly. So that you support the team to be able to do its job.”
Focus on location of structure
According to Dimpane, Masemola supported permanence but differed on location.
“Of course, he has got no obligation to explain that to me. He said, ‘Perhaps then, if it is a permanent structure, it should not be localised in KwaZulu-Natal. That structure could perhaps be in the head office.’ I have had those conversations,” she said.
She said permanence was also key to enforcing financial accountability.
“I need to be able to hold someone to account for the utilisation of those resources that would have been allocated. It also makes it easy for you to plan. And to allocate resources in order to properly support that particular team,” she said.
“If it becomes a team that operates for a longer period on a temporary basis, you are unable to then resource it properly. Then you’ll have other resources being drawn from other units.”
Dimpane added that she only learned of the PKTT’s disbandment while on leave. She said she also presented five formal reports to Mchunu but denied ever addressing the task team budget with him.
“I can confirm that all these five presentations that I have mentioned dealt with the budgetary framework, overall challenges as well as pressure points in the organisation.
Role was solely focused on funding
“None of these presentations dealt with the matters that are relating to the PKTT,” she said.
“All discussions concerning the allocation of funds to the PKTT are solely between myself and the national commissioner as the accounting officer. My role then is to confirm whether there is funding. If there is no funding we then have a conversation with the national commissioner in terms of reprioritising. To ensure we support [the PKTT]. These are conversations I only have with the national commissioner.”
