By Johnathan Paoli
National Coloured Congress leader and MP Fadiel Adams on Wednesday night launched a scathing attack on KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
Adams was testifying before Parliament’s ad hoc committee, which is investigating Mkhwanazi’s July 2025 allegations of underworld infiltration in the justice system and political interference.
Adams was one of the politicians, in subsequent testimony, whom Mkhwanazi accused of interfering in police matters by mishandling classified information after it was leaked.
Adams told the committee he rejected the allegations. He said the documents, outlining potential criminality, were delivered to him in envelopes left under his door.
“[Mkhwanazi] wants me in jail for reporting a crime. He prefers that I cover up a crime. I’m of the opinion that General Mkhwanazi is a constitutional delinquent, because our founding document makes zero provision for the classification of crime,” Adams told the committee.
He said Mkhwanazi’s criticism of him was “misplaced and constitutionally flawed”.
Assistant evidence leader advocate Maria Mokhoaetsi (SC) questioned why Adams did not verify the authenticity of the documents left in the envelopes (before making the information public) and why he did not establish who had placed them there.
“I had no means to validate the documents, and I didn’t want to bring them to the police committee because of the conflicts we have regarding classification,” Adams said.
He told the committee he had been warned by the late former Western Cape Anti-Gang Unit head Major-General Andre Lincoln that the matter could be covered up and that people might “die” before it reached court, advising him to “walk away”.
Adams said he refused, travelled to Johannesburg and opened cases at Orlando police station in Soweto.
He said he also contacted suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, Inspector-General of Intelligence Imtiaz Fazel and the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption before handing the information to an “advocate Govender”.
Adams denounced both Mkhwanazi’s conduct and the functioning of the PKTT.
He said Mkhwanazi’s public statements made in July and testimony before the committee were riddled with contradictions, and criticised his leadership during the 2021 unrest in KZN.
He said the unrest was a failure of intelligence by SAPS Criminal Intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo.
“In short, intelligence headed by Khumalo failed in its mandate, KZN operational capacity was hamstrung as General Mkhwanazi looked for his bravery, both kept their jobs because of National Police Commissioner [Fannie] Masemola, the man General Mkhwanazi is trying to keep out of court,” he added.
Adams further told the committee he had been “reliably informed” that the PKTT had killed more than 10 minors since its inception, and said he had repeatedly sought information about the unit’s activities but was met with silence from senior police leadership.
“On 9 November 2025, I emailed the National Commissioner (Masemola), wherein I asked him to disclose the number of minors killed and injured by the PKTT. I informed him that I needed this information in order to complete my submission to the committee. To this day, he has not replied,” Adams said.
He said he followed up with requests to acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and received no response.
“General Mkhwanazi is clearly receiving the type of protection that makes him act with impunity,” he said.
Adams questioned whether Mkhwanazi’s actions were intended to shield others from accountability.
“Before this committee and under oath, General Mkhwanazi admitted that he called the threatening 6 July press conference ‘because the National Commissioner was at the gates of prison’,” Adams said.
Private forensic investigator Paul O’ Sullivan is set to resume his testimony on Thursday morning. He walked out of the committee last week, without being dismissed, saying he had to catch a flight.
Committee members were informed that O’Sullivan had since submitted a letter of apology.
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