By Johnathan Paoli
Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu spent his second day before Parliament’s ad hoc committee again defending his decision to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
Mchunu insisted that his directive was both lawful and rational, even as evidence leader Norman Arendse (SC) pressed him on claims of poor consultation and deteriorating relations with senior police leadership.
Mchunu maintained that financial governance was at the heart of his decision, admitting that limited communication on his part was due to an oversight and not an attempt at stifling justice.
“There’s a whole range of issues, but I couldn’t squeeze all of them there. We may be dealing with something that is outside the [Public Finance management Act] at the end of the day,” Mchunu told the committee.
He said his letter to National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola contained only a high-level summary of his reasons for why the PKTT should be disbanded.
Mchunu said that while his 31 December 2024 directive did not spell out all 29 reasons behind the task team’s dissolution, the decision stemmed from accumulated concerns raised by violence monitor Mary de Haas, whistleblower Patricia Mashale, and other stakeholders about the team’s operations, spending, and alleged irregularities.
Arendse countered that Masemola had testified that the directive “came as a huge surprise” and that Mchunu failed to consult him, even though the two had attended a funeral days earlier.
Mchunu retorted sharply, saying it would have been “unnatural” to discuss operational matters at such an event, adding that his decision-making process was not yet complete at that stage.
Pressed further on whether he had informed Masemola of the specific criticisms raised by De Haas and Mashale, Mchunu said he had.
Arendse said that the tone of Mchunu’s disbandment letter seemed abrupt and dismissive.
Mchunu conceded that “the tone could have been better,” and added that he was sober when he wrote the letter. The quip prompted Arendse to remark that “no one suggested otherwise, even though it was that time of the year”.
Mchunu said that he had drafted the letter with his legal advisor, former prosecutions head Vusi Pikoli, but said he did not seek wider legal counsel.
He maintained that his actions were constitutional, adding that “the minister has the power to give directions to the national commissioner in relation to operational powers”.
The legality of that directive has, however, been disputed before the ad hoc committee and the Madlanga Commission.
Prior testimony from SAPS legal expert Major-General Petronella van Rooyen described Mchunu’s instruction as an “unlawful straying” into the police commissioner’s constitutional domain.
Throughout the Friday session, Mchunu rejected suggestions that he had failed to consult, saying discussions about the PKTT and its future dated back to before his tenure.
He cited over 28 meetings with SAPS leadership and nine with Masemola since his appointment.
“Don’t make me feel guilty. I’m not guilty for that,” he told Arendse, after being pressed about the lack of a dedicated meeting before the directive was issued.
Mchunu said that he had provided the committee with a recording of a conversation between his chief of staff Cedric Nkabinde and KwaZulu-Natal police chief Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, in which the latter warned of a possible “fightback” if Mchunu refused to withdraw the directive.
The committee later played portions of the tape, interpreted partly in isiZulu, where Mkhwanazi could be heard cautioning that “withdrawing a task team that is busy with investigations” would have operational implications.
According to Mchunu, the conversation confirmed his fears about internal resistance within SAPS.
Arendse pressed Mchunu again on why he did not consult his cabinet colleagues about the disbandment, particularly those sitting on the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Political Killings.
Mchunu replied curtly that there was no IMC in the seventh administration and that “you can’t just convene [a meeting between ministers]. You’re not the president”.
The committee will continue hearing Mchunu’s testimony on Monday, with cross-examination from MPs to begin on Tuesday.
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