By Johnathan Paoli
Tensions flared in Parliament’s ad-hoc committee probing police corruption on Friday, as Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Ian Cameron and Patriotic Alliance (PA) MP Ashley Sauls pressed national police commissioner Fannie Masemola on whether the legislature was misled over the closure of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) and the credibility of intelligence reports against PA leaders.
Cameron, who also chairs the Portfolio Committee on Police, accused Masemola and his deputies of failing to be transparent with Parliament when the task team was disbanded.
“Yesterday, you said the Portfolio Committee should have read between the lines that the closure of the PKTT was irregular. What does that mean? Does it mean Parliament must distrust every briefing?” he asked.
Masemola responded that the police had done a “good thing” in accepting Cameron’s invitation to explain their position, insisting the committee was informed that the task team was functioning effectively.
“Mkhwanazi expressed his unhappiness with the closure, and that was the end of the meeting,” Masemola said.
He suggested that the lack of objection from MPs at the time implied acceptance of the decision.
But Cameron pushed back sharply.
“There’s an impression that Parliament didn’t act. The point is, there was no objection. Neither you nor Mkhwanazi objected to the closure of the PKTT,” he said.
Masemola maintained that Mkhwanazi had raised his dissatisfaction, though he conceded this was not formally included in SAPS’s presentation, acknowledging that he had not mentioned ministerial interference.
Cameron argued the omissions amounted to a dereliction of duty.
“The team misled the committee on 5 March, because we relied entirely on the information SAPS provided,” he charged.
He said it was unfair that SAPS legal head Petronella van Rooyen later told the Madlanga Commission that Parliament failed in its oversight, stressing that parliament will not be made the scapegoat
The DA MP pressed further, asking who in the Presidency had applied pressure to protect Richards Bay Minerals.
Masemola replied that the pressure came from then police minister Bheki Cele and then presidency minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, citing murders and serious crimes in the area as the reason for deploying resources.
While Cameron’s line of questioning spotlighted Parliament’s role, Sauls shifted focus to the credibility of intelligence reports in a political defence of PA deputy president Kenny Kunene name coming up as being twice to the residence of murder-accused and alleged “Big 5” member Molefe.
“Your team reported to you, but that still qualifies as hearsay. So your team is immune to lying?” he said.
Masemola repeated that his officers had told him Kunene was present once inside the property and another time at the gate.
The exchange escalated, with Sauls accusing Masemola of having “lied to the nation” and promising to prove Kunene was not at the property.
Committee chair Soviet Lekganyane warned Sauls against debating the witness’s integrity, while ANC MP Bheki Nomvalo argued that Lekganyane had to protect the commissioner.
Sauls refused to back down, highlighting the rehabilitation of PA leaders Gayton McKenzie and Kenny Kunene after their criminal convictions.
Eventually, Sauls’ time expired after a heated back-and-forth over the removal of case dockets from KwaZulu-Natal to Pretoria at the instruction of General Sibiya, which Masemola admitted had not been properly handled.
In a calmer closing exchange, Lekganyane probed Masemola on whether senior police leadership was divided and whether the institution was facing an “implosion”.
Masemola denied divisions but conceded that Sibiya’s arrival had caused tensions.
He admitted the ongoing controversies undermined public trust but said he believed the service could still be turned around.
“I do believe we can still turn this ship in the right direction,” he said.
Evidence leader Norman Arendse drew attention back to the core constitutional dispute.
He noted that while Masemola had been criticised for complying with a directive to close the PKTT, the decision had not been implemented.
Masemola confirmed the task team remained intact and was even being expanded to Gauteng.
Arendse also remarked that legal experts “lick their lips” when confronted with section 206 of the Constitution, where the balance of power between the minister and commissioner is ambiguous.
Masemola acknowledged the tension but stressed he reports to both the minister and the president, rejecting the notion that the commissioner is the most powerful office-bearer in the state.
The committee will continue on Monday morning at eleven, with Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya expected to testify.
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