By Johnathan Paoli
Members of Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption and political interference in the criminal justice system have clashed over whether suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu was influenced by “external forces” when he ordered the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) in December 2024.
The disagreement emerged during a virtual meeting on Monday as the committee worked through 54 pages of its latest draft report and considered political parties’ submissions on Mchunu’s decision to disband the task team.
uMkhonto weSizwe Party MP Vusi Shongwe argued that the committee should make a clear finding that Mchunu had been influenced by people outside government, including lobbyist Mary de Haas and businessman Brown Mogotsi.
“It’s clear. It says external forces like Mary de Haas and Brown Mogotsi, and it is supported by the annexures that Mchunu submitted,” Shongwe said.
But ANC Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli rejected the wording, warning that concluding Mchunu had been influenced was not sufficiently supported by the evidence before the committee.
“I don’t quite agree with the strong assertion that the minister has been influenced because it’s a very strong assertion that he’s been influenced by external forces,” Ntuli said.
Ntuli said Mchunu had considered a range of interventions from interested parties, as well as reports from within his department, before deciding on the PKTT.
The disagreement underscores the political divisions within the committee as it seeks to reach findings on the conduct of Mchunu, who is currently on special leave.
Members are also divided over an allegation that Mchunu instructed his former Chief of Staff, Cedric Nkabinde, to secretly record a conversation with KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The issue forms part of the committee’s broader examination of allegations of political interference in policing and the circumstances surrounding Mkhwanazi’s disclosures about the disbandment of the PKTT.
The committee has also resolved that, for now, it will not use evidence from the parallel Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in compiling its report.
The position was established last week when chair Soviet Lekganyane told MPs that the committee had not requested documents from the commission and should restrict itself to evidence it had gathered.
“What we should do is to restrict ourselves to what we have gathered,” Lekganyane said.
He nevertheless said the committee could not completely ignore developments at the commission if information emerging there became relevant to witnesses who would later be given an opportunity to respond to the committee’s findings.
Lekganyane said the committee could, if necessary, decide at a later stage to request documents from the commission.
The two inquiries have examined overlapping allegations, with the commission previously drawing on evidence and records from Parliament when questioning witnesses.
Former Investigating Directorate Against Corruption head Andrea Johnson, for example, was confronted at the commission with alleged contradictions between her evidence before Parliament and information subsequently placed before the inquiry.
Shongwe has also appeared before the commission, where he testified that he was allegedly offered a bribe to stop investigating suspended crime intelligence deputy head Major-General Feroz Khan.
The parliamentary committee had previously decided not to call Khan as a witness.
The ad hoc committee is now working towards its latest deadline of September 11, following another extension to allow it to complete its report.
Once the latest amendments and party submissions have been incorporated, the draft will be sent to implicated parties for their responses before the committee considers and adopts its final report.
The committee has stressed that its mandate allows it to make findings on governance, administration and institutional failures, but not to determine criminal guilt or innocence.
Lekganyane said the committee would continue working from the evidence before it.
He said members would be consulted on whether another meeting would be held on Tuesday afternoon or at a later date.
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