By Thapelo Molefe
Former police minister Nathi Nhleko and former national police commissioner Khehla Sithole’s scheduled appearances before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Cases Inquiry have been postponed indefinitely.
The two were due to testify before the inquiry on Thursday. Nhleko was expected to answer questions on whether cases referred by the TRC for criminal investigation and prosecution were delayed during his tenure as police minister between 2014 and 2017, while Sithole was expected to account for his time as national police commissioner from 2017 to 2022.
However, inquiry chairperson retired Justice Sisi Khampepe announced at the close of proceedings that both appearances had been postponed.
“No reasons were given for the postponement,” Khampepe said, adding that new dates for their testimony would be communicated in due course.
The inquiry was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa in May 2025 to investigate allegations that police officials, prosecutors and other state actors interfered with or delayed the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era crimes referred to by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Its mandate includes examining alleged political interference in more than 300 cases referred by the TRC to the National Prosecuting Authority after the commission submitted its final report to then-president Thabo Mbeki in 2003.
The postponements followed testimony by former police minister Bheki Cele on Tuesday and his successor, Fikile Mbalula, on Wednesday, as the inquiry continued examining the handling of TRC-referred cases.
On Wednesday, Mbalula denied having any role in delaying or influencing TRC-related investigations during his tenure as police minister from 2017 to 2018.
“The relevant authorities in this regard, if anyone was supposed to be prosecuted, the relevant authorities within the state were supposed to follow up on those. I was just there and not privy to the investigations because they are confidential and classified,” Mbalula told the inquiry.
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On Tuesday, Cele acknowledged that delays occurred while he served as national police commissioner, saying the South African Police Service’s focus on preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup contributed to limited attention being given to outstanding TRC investigations. He also defended his decision as police minister not to approve state funding for the legal defence of former apartheid-era security branch officers facing prosecution.
Families of victims whose cases were referred by the TRC have long said that police and prosecutors failed to pursue investigations with sufficient urgency, preventing many apartheid-era cases from being finalised.
The commission’s mandate has been extended until December 2026.
