KWAZULU-NATAL police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi used his first of testimony at the commission of inquiry to demonstrate that there were outside forces involved in the decision to disband the political task team.
He said a letter on the task team’s disbandment had gone back and forth between the authors and the police minister before the chief of staff’s office was pressurised to send it to the national commissioner.
Mkhwanazi – who was the first witness at the Madlanga commission of inquiry into police criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system, chaired by retired justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, which began on Wednesday – said suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu did not have the power to disband the team formed by the interministerial committee to investigate political killings.
He said he received the letter through WhatsApp from a friend. The letter said that the services of the team were no longer required and that it was not adding any value to the fight against crime.
Mkhwanazi told the commission that after he received the letter, he then called the chief of staff in the minister’s office to ask about its authenticity.
“Mr Ngavi [chief of staff] is a well-known individual to me. I personally called him, understanding that there can never be any letter signed by the minister that does not pass [through] him. So, I asked about it, whether he is aware, or maybe it is just a fake letter that was created by someone and is circulating.
“And his response was ‘yes’, he is aware of the letter. The letter has been going back and forth. Someone is sending it to the minister. Eventually, he was put under pressure to dispatch it to the office of the national police,” he said.
Mkhwanazi, during a media briefing in July, said the decision may have been influenced by Mchunu’s associates, including businessman Vuzimusi “Cat” Matlala, who has been arrested for attempted murder, and another associate, Brown Mogotsi.
“Further analysis of the chats indicates that Matlala is financially supporting the minister of police and Mr Brown Mogotsi’s political endeavours.”
Mkhwanazi told the commission on Wednesday that after he spoke to the chief of staff, he called the national commissioner, Gen Fannie Masemola, to try to establish from him whether he was aware of the letter.
“Masemola responded that he is on leave and that his leave is going to end on the 14th of January and that he hasn’t had an opportunity to consider the content of the letter,” he said.
Mkhwanazi said it was strange that Mchunu told MPs that he had spoken to the president and that is why he stood by his decision to disband the team, while Masemola said he had not received any communication from either the president or Mchunu about it.
He said the disbandment of the team came a few weeks after police had conducted a search and seizure operation at the homes of Matlala and controversial businessman Tankiso “TK” Molefe, which made him conclude that the operations had influenced the decision to get rid of the police task team. At the time of the raids, 10 members of the police came from the task team.
Mkhwanazi also told the commission that it was unlawful for 121 dockets that were taken from the task team to have gone to the now suspended deputy national commissioner, Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya, instead of being transferred to the police stations they were originally registered in.
The commission resumes on Thursday.
Image (KZN Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, gave testimony at the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday).
