Mchunu out of line – top cops

NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: DISBANDING POLITICAL KILLINGS TASK TEAM NOT HIS MANDATE

- Vhahangwele Nemakonde

PROBING. Justice Mbuyiseni Madlanga at the inquiry yesterday. It was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa to probe allegations made by KZN police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

(Picture: Gallo Images)

On 17 September, the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry began public hearings, with KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi taking the stand as the first witness.

This followed his media briefing on 6 July in which he levelled several allegations against police management and the judiciary.

On his first day, before presenting his allegations, Mkhwanazi warned the criminal justice system risks total collapse if nothing is done about the corruption and sabotage in the institutions.

He said that although he had become the face of the media briefing, it was a product of the collective efforts of various units in the SA Police Service (Saps).

"The majority of men and women in blue in the service were responsible, with me, for compiling this document," he said.

He doubled down on his allegations against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, stating there is evidence proving his involvement with crime syndicates.

According to Mkhwanazi, it was Mchunu's directive to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) that prompted his action. The directive, he claimed, fell outside Mchunu's jurisdiction.

National police commissioner Fannie Masemola backed Mkhwanazi on this testimony.

Mkhwanazi said that what exposed Mchunu's connections with suspect characters was that he had heard of the decision to disband the PKTT from businessman Brown Mogotsi.

Mogotsi sent Mkhwanazi WhatsApp messages warning him about an attempt to discredit him via an allegation of defeating the ends of justice.

What stunned Mkhwanazi was that these allegations were shared in a high-level crime intelligence meeting attended by Mchunu, Masemola and other top police officials.