Acting National Police Commissioner Puleng Dimpane has thrown her weight behind the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), praising its role after two former police officers and three accomplices were jailed for trying to sabotage a murder case the specialised unit had investigated.
In a statement on Tuesday, Dimpane welcomed the sentencing of the five accused to 17 years’ imprisonment each by the Pinetown Magistrates’ Court for corruption and defeating the ends of justice.
Interfering with witnesses
The case stemmed from attempts to interfere with witnesses in the murder of Thulani Nxumalo, an ANC branch chairperson and community policing forum member who was gunned down in KwaDengezi in 2018.
“The SAPS remains resolute in its commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that those within its ranks who engage in criminal conduct are held accountable,” said Dimpane.
She said the conviction sent a strong message that attempts to tamper with witnesses or obstruct investigations would not be tolerated, regardless of rank or status.
Nxumalo’s murder was investigated by the PKTT, a unit that has become central to South Africa’s battle against politically linked killings in KwaZulu-Natal.
R120 000 bribe
The court heard that former Sgt Bonginkosi Dlamini and Lt-Col Khepu Ndlovu were paid R120 000 to persuade witnesses not to testify. They acted alongside local induna Felokwakhe Ndlovu, his wife and son.
Felokwakhe Ndlovu and two others had already been convicted of Nxumalo’s murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2024.
Dimpane’s support for PKTT
Dimpane’s praise for the PKTT carries added political significance because she recently defended her own position on the task team during Parliament’s ad hoc committee hearings into policing interference claims.
At those hearings, Dimpane rejected suggestions that she had wanted the unit disbanded after an internal funding note was cited as evidence against her.
“I did not give anyone permission to utilise that information note,” she told MPs, insisting the document was a budgetary assessment, not a call to shut the team down.
She said her actual view was that the PKTT should become a permanent structure because political killings remained an enduring threat.
“For five years we can’t continue like this from a budgeting point of view,” Dimpane said at the time, arguing that a permanent unit would allow proper planning, staffing and accountability.
Tuesday’s statement now places her firmly on record as both defender of the unit at a time when she is leading SAPS in an acting capacity after the suspension of lieutenant general Fannie Masemola.
- Five individuals, including two former police officers, were sentenced to 17 years for corruption and obstructing justice by attempting to sabotage a murder case investigated by the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
- The case involved interference with witnesses in the 2018 murder of ANC branch chairperson Thulani Nxumalo, highlighting efforts to tamper with judicial processes.
- Former Sgt Bonginkosi Dlamini and Lt-Col Khepu Ndlovu accepted a R120,000 bribe to persuade witnesses not to testify, working with local induna Felokwakhe Ndlovu and family members.
- Acting National Police Commissioner Puleng Dimpane praised the PKTT's role in combatting politically linked killings in KwaZulu-Natal and reinforced the message that obstruction of justice will not be tolerated.
- Dimpane defended the PKTT during parliamentary hearings, advocating for it to become a permanent unit to ensure sustainable funding, staffing, and accountability amid ongoing political violence.
In a statement on Tuesday, Dimpane welcomed the sentencing of the five accused to 17 years’ imprisonment each by the Pinetown Magistrates’ Court for corruption and defeating the ends of justice.
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Nxumalo’s murder was investigated by the PKTT, a unit that has become central to
Dimpane’s praise for the PKTT carries added political significance because she recently defended her own position on the task team during Parliament’s ad hoc committee hearings into policing interference claims.
At those hearings, Dimpane rejected suggestions that she had wanted the unit disbanded after an internal funding note was cited as evidence against her.
“I did not give anyone permission to utilise that information note,” she told MPs, insisting the document was a budgetary assessment, not a call to shut the team down.
“For five years we can’t continue like this from a budgeting point of view,” Dimpane said at the time, arguing that a permanent unit would allow proper planning, staffing and accountability.
Tuesday’s statement now places her firmly on record as both defender of the unit at a time when she is leading SAPS in an acting capacity after the suspension of lieutenant general Fannie Masemola.
