Masemola accuses AfriForum of meddling in KZN killings probe

Top cop wrote to minister warning of the danger of jeopardising case

- By Setumo Stone

National Police Commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola has accused AfriForum of brazen interference, deceit and outright sabotage of political task team's investigations into political killings in KwaZulu-Natal.

Masemola made the allegations in a confidential report prepared for police minister Senzo Mchunu early this year. Mchunu has since been suspended.

The high-level document penned on January 22 pulls no punches that the behaviour of the Afrikaner civil society group was "tantamount to an attempt to defeat the ends of justice".

Masemola stated that AfriForum has overstepped all bounds, made false allegations against the police and threw a spanner in the works at the very moment when hard-won progress is finally within reach.

According to him, AfriForum's representatives have hurled "insults and derogatory comments" at Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo and his investigative team, poisoning any hope of constructive engagement.

The sins of the investigators, wrote Masemola, were that they refused to respond to AfriForum's request to share information in a certain case it claimed to be involved in.

He also charged that they refused to share the data with AfriForum because it has misrepresented its mandate - falsely claiming to act on behalf of both the widow of a murder victim and the uMngeni Municipality, despite lacking legal standing.

"AfriForum have been appointed by uMngeni municipality to conduct a private investigation and they must provide feedback and information in order to justify their appointment."

"Such position or appointment by law it allows AfriForum to observe proceeding at court and not be part of investigation," the report insisted.