Former police minister Bheki Cele has criticised his successor, Senzo Mchunu, who is currently on special leave, for disbanding the political killings task team (PKTT).
Cele was testifying before the parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating the allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi about South African Police Service interference from alleged cartels.
Cele argued that before issuing any directives to disband the task team, Mchunu should have consulted the inter-ministerial committee (IMC), which had formed the PKTT.
“In my view, the PKTT was established by the IMC under the leadership of the president, and therefore only the IMC could disband it,” Cele said.
“I have heard in these proceedings the submission that no IMC has been established under the seventh administration. I submit that this is incorrect.”
“Any disestablishment of the PKTT would also need to occur through a consultation involving the steering committee of the IMC, which oversees both the IMC and the PKTT.”
Mchunu’s decision questioned
He also dismissed Mchunu’s claims that the IMC was not re-established in the seventh administration; the committee consists of ministries that form part of the multidisciplinary team and is not a political incumbent.
According to Cele, this means the IMC continues to exist in the current administration, emphasising that Mchunu should have still consulted the committee or asked for clearance from President Cyril Ramaphosa.
He further emphasized that Mchunu could have otherwise consulted the Justice, Crime Prevention, and Security Cluster, co-chaired by the ministers of police and justice.
“Procedurally, I do not agree with it,” Cele said on Mchunu’s unilateral decision to disband the PKTT.
He expressed to the MPs his surprise at seeing the directive letter and asked when it was written.
Cele also denied Mchunu’s allegations that the PKTT had been operating illegally since 2022, stating that during an IMC meeting on September 5, 2023, it was resolved to hold a briefing about the success of the PKTT, which took place, and it was also decided that the PKTT could not be dissolved.
Since Ramaphosa had asked that investigations be carried out at the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape, the PKTT briefed him on its activities there in March 2024.
“I don’t remember the team being disbanded until I saw the letter that was written on the 31st of December when we were drinking and dancing,” Cele said.
Cases under investigation
He claimed that because he opposed the PKTT disbandment, he went up to Ramaphosa at the ANC January 8 celebration on January 13 and asked to meet with Mchunu.
Cele cited cases that still require attention, including the investigations into the death of Ntombenhle Mchunu, a National Freedom Party councillor from Nongoma municipality, which resulted in the arrest of the finance manager, municipal manager, and supply chain manager.
He stated that investigations revealed the assassins were paid through municipal structures, emphasizing that an immediate disbandment of the PKTT would jeopardise these critical investigations.
According to Cele, KwaZulu-Natal councillors — primarily ANC and IFP councillors — are still heavily guarded because they fear being killed.
Cele explained, “This means that even though a lot of work has been done, the mission has not been accomplished.”
He concurred that the task team, while time-bound, ought to demonstrate progress and refrain from disbanding before the mission’s completion.
