Political parties are in the process of finalising the list of witnesses they want to call before Parliament’s ad-hoc committee set up to investigate allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

MPs serving on this committee are currently locked in discussions, adding names to the list.

Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema gave a rundown of some of the witnesses his party wants to call, and explained why they should be included.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa is mentioned, and the former police minister is mentioned. Remember, General Mkhwanazi said Minister Mthethwa called him to his house to speak about the removal of [former Gauteng crime intelligence boss, Richard Mdluli] Mdluli’s case.”

“Minister Ronald Lamola, Brown Mogotsi is reported to have been involved in the apprehension of Thabo Bester, during his term as the minister of justice and correctional services, and [Sport, Arts and Culture] Minister Gayton McKenzie said he wants to be called because he has a lot to say and he has a lot of information about the criminal syndicates taking place in this country,” adds Malema.

African National Congress (ANC) Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli has proposed the list of witnesses that Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee looking into allegations made by KZN Police Commissioner should start with.

While MPs from various parties have added names to the list of witnesses to be called before the committee, Ntuli says the ANC believes those 34 names should be parked, that they start with Mkhwanazi, National Police Commissioner Fanie Masemola, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who has been placed on special leave, Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, and only then decide which other witnesses to call.

Ntuli says this proposal will help the committee save time.

“Let’s take a principle position that we have all these names as identified by the various members of this committee, but at this point, we are not taking a position that these names we must go out and work on them, appearing before the ad hoc committee. Because the moment we are confirming this list, it becomes a direct mandate to our legal team, that therefore, immediately after this meeting is adjourned, they must start making contact with all of those names in order to prepare anyone who needs to appear as a witness before the ad hoc committee.”