National Police Commissioner Fanie Masemola testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria. Image: Screenshot.
(The Post News)– National Police Commissioner Fanie Masemola told the commission on Monday that the suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu’s order to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) was totally an encroachment into the mandate of the national commissioner.
Masemola is the second person to take the stand at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria following KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who made allegations against Mchunu for political interference in the South African Police Service. Mkhwanazi raised critical questions regarding the disbandment of the PKTT. He alleged that the decision was politically motivated and aimed at shielding powerful individuals involved in crime.
Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga asked Masemola to explain under what circumstances he would obey the police minister’s instructions. He answered that he would obey if the minister explained and he found the reasons acceptable, even though that would be career limiting.
The police commissioner testified that the task team formed in 2019 was led at the provincial level and targeted political killings and drew wide political attention. However, it found that some councillors would fake their own hit in order to get protection, such as bodyguards, from the municipality.
In December 2024, Mchunu ordered the immediate disbandment of the PKTT. He argued the task team was no longer adding value to the police service in South Africa. Masemola disagreed with Mchunu, saying that if he was not convinced that the task team was no longer effective, he would never have approved the budget for the PKTT and its extensions, which had to be considered twice a year. He said that the team’s extensions needed the National Commissioner and not the Minister.
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