Suspended Minister Mchunu admits PKTT's effectiveness despite disbandment
Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on Friday cautiously conceded that the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) succeeded in executing its duties despite his decision to disband it.
Mchunu told the Madlanga Commission, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, investigating allegations of criminality, political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system, that he agreed with a January 2025 report compiled by National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola.
The PKTT was disbanded by Mchunu on December 31, 2024, and a few weeks later, Masemola produced a preliminary report.
The preliminary report stated: “The task team (PKTT) has undeniably achieved and far exceeded the purpose for which it was established.”
Evidence leader Advocate Mahlape Sello SC asked the former KwaZulu-Natal premier whether he agreed with the report’s conclusion. In response, Mchunu said he agreed with the statement but was cautious in doing so.
“Political killings have since gone down since particularly from 2023 in KwaZulu-Natal. By and large, they have achieved. Violence in relation to political killings has gone down, and the PKTT has been a factor among other factors,” he said, reiterating that he agreed with that statement.
Mchunu explained that among his reasons for disbanding the PKTT were concerns raised by academic and KwaZulu-Natal violence monitor Mary de Haas and former SA Police Service senior administrative officer and whistle-blower Patricia Mashale, which he discussed with Masemola.
However, other complaints on which he based the decision to disband the PKTT were not discussed with the national police commissioner.
According to Mchunu, the continued existence of the PKTT is administratively untenable.
He said the task team had been established for six months, and he deemed its seven-year existence too long in part.
Asked by Sello whether he was aware of two other task teams, Operation Lockdown/Thunder in the Western Cape and Operation Manguzi Cross-border in KwaZulu-Natal,, that have been in existence for seven years and continue to exist, Mchunu said they were also of concern and he was about to land on them too.
He stated that he had grave concerns, not just concerns about them.
On Operation Lockdown/Thunder, he said: “They haven’t performed up to the level that is required, and I discussed with the national commissioner on a number of occasions.”
“We haven’t really been as effective as we need to be in terms of the demands or expectations of the people of Manguzi,” Mchunu added on Operation Manguzi Cross-border.
He added that both of them were of concern, but “you couldn’t do everything at the same time”.
“What got us to attend to the PKTT is different from what we are talking about,” Mchunu said.
The commission continues.
loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za