Members of Parliament have grilled police national commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola over the delay in responding to the disbandment of the political killings task team (PKTT).
This is against the background that Masemola opened a criminal case over the “illegal” directive to disband the task team. He also suspended Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya after the explosive briefing by KZN Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
EFF leader Julius Malema said it was Masemola’s main responsibility to immediately act on the matter, as he was aware of it before Mkhwanazi’s July 6 statement. He claimed that Masemola should not have waited for the matter to gain public attention before reacting on it.
“If General Mkhwanazi can open a case, you too had a duty to open a case. Actually, it was supposed to be you, not even General Mkhwanazi, because your deputy in Pretoria is the one who issues illegal instructions. Your minister in Pretoria is the one who issues illegal directives,” said Malema.
Crime scene located
“So, the crime scene is in Pretoria. That is where it is being operated from, it’s not being operated from the head office. As the national commissioner you ought to take responsibility that you are actually the most responsible person who should have acted on the matter,” Malema added.
He also said Masemola was seemingly reluctant to open a case because Mkhwanazi had approached him three times before this finally happened.
In defence, Masemola indicated that he was never reluctant to open the case, saying he was the first to write an affidavit on the matter for a case to be registered.
He said the case had to be opened in KZN because the political killings task team was a matter for the province.
“We only opened a case after realising what was happening. Even he [Mkhwanazi] didn’t open a case before because he didn’t know what was happening. After we realised what was happening, that is when I appended my affidavit,” said Masemola.
DA asks …
DA member Glynnis Breytenbach also questioned why Masemola never told Mchunu that he could not disband the PKTT granted that it was, as previously indicated, doing well.
She said as the national commissioner, he is the top cop and that his job should not be influenced by Minister Mchunu.
“The national commissioner of the South African Police Service thinks the minister is his boss. Wow,” Breytenbach remarked, snidely.
Masemola said he considered Mchunu to be his supervisor.
He also indicated that legal opinions received were contradictory as some confirmed that the directive was illegal but some claimed it was a way of policing. However, he did not get a written legal opinion.
