Activist for political and human rights, human dignity and social justice, Dr Mary de Haas, has claimed that KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and crime intelligence boss Dumisani Khumalo are not credible.
De Haas appeared before Parliamentary Ad Hoc committee investigating allegations made by Mkhwanazi on July 6, which also questions the disbandment of the political killings task team.
Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu had issued a letter of directives which indicated that the PKTT should be immediately disbanded. This was allegedly motivated by a letter received from de Haas requesting that the team be disbanded claiming it was irregular.
PKTT was grossly irregular
She claimed that the PKTT was grossly irregular because of its lack of permanent senior leadership but failed to cite any law to defend the description.
De Haas was facing questions of police credibility from uMkhonto weSizwe MP David Skhosana, considering that most of the information she brought as evidence was information she had received from police officials.
This includes, among others, information received from an alleged ex-member of the Political Killings Task Team that the team was being run by former Police Minister Bheki Cele.
De Haas claimed that the SAPS is deeply corrupted that it is lucky to have some officials who are credible. These do not include Mkhwanazi and Khumalo.
“There are still credible people in the police and those are the people that I am supporting,” said de Haas.
When asked if Mkhwanazi and Khumalo are credible, she said: “I don’t believe general Mkhwanazi is credible.”
No opinion on Shadrack Sibiya
She further claimed that Khumalo was “definitely” not credible. But she said she did not know if deputy national commissioner Shadrack Sibiya was credible. And she claimed that she has not interacted much with him.
“I reported four years ago to Parliament that general Khumalo’s members were seizing phones without a court order. Out of that Parliament would have said ‘but hang on a sec, let’s just check this out and see if it’s happening’,” said de Haas.
