By Akani Nkuna
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola have reached an understanding after their 1 September meeting, agreeing that the Political Task Team dockets will be submitted to the Madlanga Commission as part of its investigation.
“The political killing task team dockets will be submitted to the Commission in the format it requires. This will ensure the integrity of the dockets and allow the Commission to thoroughly investigate all matters within its terms of reference,” Cachalia and Masemola said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
They added that where urgent criminal investigations or prosecutions are warranted, SAPS will advise the Commission accordingly.
The resolution follows a public spat last week when Masemola returned the dockets to the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team for further investigation and possible arrests.
Cachalia, however, slammed the move as “premature,” arguing that the Commission should first investigate the allegations contained in the files.
In a weekend statement, Cachalia accused Masemola of undermining his role as acting minister to “ensure the integrity of SAPS during this difficult time and build public trust in this vitally important organisation.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa was said to be “fuming” over the handling of the matter, describing the return of the dockets as unwelcome and detrimental.
Following their meeting on 1 September, Cachalia and Masemola agreed to work collectively within their portfolios and emphasised the need to strengthen SAPS’ capacity to investigate the killings of councillors, public officials, whistle-blowers and others targeted by organised crime.
“A key outcome was that Minister Cachalia and General Masemola agreed on the importance of maintaining a professional, collegial and respectful relationship, with prior consultation and regular reporting on matters in the public and policy domains,” the statement read.
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