KZN Police Commissioner, Lt-Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has accused rogue political forces of sabotaging the fight against political killings and claimed suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu wasn’t even the real author of the letter that disbanded the elite task team investigating them.

Testifying before Parliament’s ad-hoc committee probing corruption in the criminal justice system on Wednesday, Mkhwanazi said, “I don’t believe Minister Mchunu wrote that letter. Someone made him sign it.”

“If the minister was honest, he would say someone made me sign this, I did not write it myself… if he comes here and says it’s him then there will be trouble.”

The letter signed by Mchunu, dated December 2024, was directed to the National Commissioner, Gen. Fannie Masemola, to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).

This is because, according to Mchunu, the PKTT had “no value” but investigations revealed that this move was to protect criminals.

But Mkhwanazi said there was no consultation, no briefing, and no logic behind the decision — only backroom and political manipulation.

According to the commissioner, the letter was drafted elsewhere, mentioning that it was not true that they were briefed.

He pointed to Mchunu’s chief of staff, [Cedrick] Nkabinde, as a possible go-between: “Nkabinde told me the letter was going back and forth. That told me it was being crafted by others — not the minister himself.”

Mkhwanazi and Masemola believe it was to protect politically connected murder suspect Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala — arrested just before the PKTT was scrapped.

This is what they told the Madlanga Commission.

Matlala is allegedly linked to senior police officer General Shadrack Sibiya and Brown Mogotsi, both with reported ties to Mchunu.

Even more alarming, Mkhwanazi revealed evidence of junior officers colluding directly with politicians to influence police leadership.

“You will have a Sibiya sending a WhatsApp message to the deputy minister. I don’t know who the deputy minister is,” he said.

The commissioner added that he was still investigating the matter.

The PKTT was formed to crack down on politically motivated assassinations in KZN — a province long plagued by corruption and bloodshed.

Its sudden collapse has now become a symbol of deep rot within the state.

As Parliament investigates, all eyes are on who truly pulled the strings — and how deep this cover-up goes.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

IOL Politics

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