The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK Party) has accused Police Minister Firoz Cachalia of interfering with the work of the Madlanga Commission.
The official opposition’s statement comes after the National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola and Cachalia, in a joint media statement on Tuesday, stated that the political killings task team dockets will be submitted to the Madlanga commission in the format that they require.
MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela slammed Cachalia for sending copies of the 121 political killings task team dockets to the commission.
Copies of original dockets
This comes after copies have been made of the 121 dockets linked to political killings in KwaZulu-Natal. This was to ensure the commission of inquiry, led by retired justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, can access them.
Ndhlela insisted that the commission should directly request the dockets from Cachalia in written form when needed, instead of having Cachalia interfering in ongoing investigations.
He said police are meant to investigate, make arrests and prosecute criminals and should do their job.
“It is not the job of [President Cyril] Ramaphosa and his handpicked puppet Cachalia to interfere in live investigations, strip police of their mandate and hide evidence in a commission that reports to the very politicians implicated in crimes.
“This is a textbook case of executive overreach, abuse of power, and political tampering with justice,” said Ndhlela.
He said this move showed that the government of national unity (GNU) was a mere coalition of “political elites” seeking to shield themselves from accountability using state institutions.
Covering up political dirt
Ndhlela highlighted that police are not political errand kids. And judicial commissions should not be used to cover up political dirt.
“Let us be clear, the 121 dockets represent the blood of our people. They represent communities ravaged by political assassinations. Families robbed of their loved ones, including traditional leaders assassinated. And a nation terrorised into silence.
“By diverting copies of these dockets, Ramaphosa and Cachalia are not seeking truth. They are orchestrating a cover-up. They are shielding their political allies, delaying justice indefinitely. And they are making a mockery of the rule of law,” said Ndhlela.
Masemola and Cachalia met after Masemola revealed that the dockets would be sent back to the political killings task team.
Integrity of the dockets
In response, Cachalia demanded an urgent report on the matter, saying the dockets should not have been released. He said the commission still needed to work on the allegations brought by KZN police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
“This is to ensure the integrity of the dockets and enable the commission to thoroughly investigate all matters related to its terms of reference. Where there are matters in these dockets requiring urgent further criminal investigations or prosecution, the SAPS will advise the commission accordingly.
“The SAPS will also act with speed where the commission refers new matters to it for urgent investigation. This is in line with its terms of reference,” said Cachalia and Masemola in a statement.
