By Johnathan Paoli
Parliament’s ad hoc committee probing allegations by KZN Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has entered its final phase, setting 8 May as the target date for completion of its draft report.
Members are expected to take an additional week to review, verify and submit inputs before the document is finalised.
During a virtual meeting on Tuesday evening, the committee received updates from evidence leaders and its technical team on progress made.
Chief evidence leader Norman Arendse said the draft was nearing completion but remained outstanding due to missing transcripts and limited human resources.
While much of the material — including Mkhwanazi’s testimony and issues such as alleged political interference, procurement irregularities and the role of specialised units — has been processed, key transcripts are still being finalised.
“A lot of detail and footnotes are still outstanding. We must ensure that this document, which will form part of the parliamentary record, is a proper and fair reflection of the committee’s deliberations,” Arendse said.
He added that once the draft is submitted, members would need dedicated time to interrogate the content and propose amendments before a consolidated version is produced.
Committee chairperson Soviet Lekganyane endorsed the approach, confirming 8 May as the deadline for the draft.
“That is the day on which the draft will be ready. Members must indicate how much time they require to go through it, so that at the next meeting we can consider a final version incorporating all inputs,” Lekganyane said.
ANC MP Khusela Diko supported giving members a week after 8 May to make submissions.
The DA and FF+ backed the revised timeline, while the EFF cautioned that the timeframe may prove tight depending on the report’s length and complexity.
“I don’t know if a week will be sufficient — it will depend on the number of pages — but for now it is a ballpark figure,” said EFF MP Leigh-Anne Mathys.
Parliamentary adviser Christine Silkstone outlined the structure of the preliminary report, which will be divided into three sections: a descriptive account of proceedings and evidence, an analytical assessment, and a final section setting out findings and recommendations.
She noted that while the structure may evolve, it is intended to guide the committee from evidence-gathering to deliberation and decision-making.
Internal briefing documents used during proceedings will inform the report but will not appear as standalone submissions.
The committee also dealt with three outstanding procedural issues raised by parliamentary legal adviser Andile Tetyana.
The first relates to access to a report by the Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI).
The committee had requested submissions from suspended IGI Imtiaz Fazel, who declined to testify citing national security concerns.
Tetyana said acting Police Minister Feroz Cachalia had not objected in principle to the committee accessing the report, but procedural complications have delayed the process.
The Secretary to the National Assembly, Masibulele Xaso, indicated the report had been returned to the minister due to a lack of coordination with the Speaker’s office.
As a result, no date or venue has yet been set for the committee to access the classified document, prompting calls for intervention at leadership level.
The second issue concerns representations from the Busisiwe Mkhwebane Foundation, which claims the committee had undertaken to receive in-camera evidence from a former warrant officer regarding the death of Lieutenant-General Sindile Mfazi.
Lekganyane rejected this claim, stating no formal decision had been taken to hold such a session.
The third matter involves an application by Sarah-Jane Trent, a former witness and employee of Paul O’Sullivan, to have her testimony expunged from the record.
The request, lodged in March, was pending a forensic psychological evaluation report, which has since been submitted.
Lekganyane said he would engage with the report confidentially but expressed reservations about the application.
The committee has agreed to seek an extension of its mandate from the National Assembly, with Lekganyane indicating the inquiry could conclude by late May or early June.
The meeting ended with members endorsing the revised timeline and extending condolences to MKP MP David Skosana following the recent loss of his mother.
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