Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has admitted that he did not meet with KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, national police commissioner Fannie Masemola, or Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo before deciding to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
Mchunu made the admission during his second appearance before Parliament’s ad hoc committee at the Good Hope Chamber in Cape Town on Friday.
Despite acknowledging the absence of a meeting, he insisted that not consulting the three senior officers was not an offence.
Commissioners Raise Concerns Over Decision
Masemola and Mkhwanazi previously criticised Mchunu for failing to consult them before disbanding the PKTT, which was investigating politically motivated killings in KwaZulu-Natal.
Masemola told the Madlanga Commission that the minister never explained his reasons for the move.
On Friday, Mchunu confirmed he had held no direct meeting with the officers but said other high-level gatherings with SAPS management covered matters related to the PKTT and broader police operations.
Mchunu Pleads Not to Be Judged
The minister asked MPs not to make him “feel guilty” for not calling a dedicated meeting with the three generals.
“There was no specific meeting to discuss the PKTT before I wrote the letter,” Mchunu said. “But the directive itself indicated the need for a follow-up meeting on 20 January. Don’t make me feel guilty; I am not guilty of that. Not having a meeting with the three generals does not constitute an offence.”
He added that the disbandment should not be equated to a lack of consultation in general.
Minister Mchunu Cites ‘Risks’ for Limited Consultation
Mchunu argued that some reasons behind the disbandment were too sensitive to share with the generals at the time.
“There were matters that couldn’t allow me to consult based on risks,” he said. “If I had discussed some of these factors, it could have created complications. The ad hoc committee and the Madlanga Commission are the appropriate platforms to deal with those issues.”
He maintained that the parliamentary and commission inquiries would provide a complete picture of his decision-making process.
In his 31 December 2024 letter to the national commissioner, Mchunu wrote that the PKTT had outlived its usefulness and no longer added value to policing in South Africa.
He said the decision was influenced by several factors, including:
- Budgetary issues
- On 31 October 2024, violence and criminality expert Mary de Haas sent several letters of complaint
- On 6 November, De Haas filed another complaint with the portfolio committee on police
- Emails and text messages from former SAPS official Patricia Mashale
- Media reports regarding the involvement of Crime Intelligence in the murder of Sindiso Magaqa
- On 13 November, MP Fadiel Adams sent another complaint to the NPA
“All these factors weighed heavily on my mind,” Mchunu said. “I can assure you that I was sober when I wrote this letter.”