National Police Commissioner Fanie Masemola testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria. Image: Screenshot.
(The Post News) -National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has told the Madlanga Commission that he addressed President Cyril Ramaphosa after Police Minister Senzo Mchunu ordered the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), hoping he will intervene. However, no feedback was received from the presidency.
Masemolais testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria; on Monday he said the directive, issued in a letter dated 31 December 2024, was “unlawful” because it prescribed how the unit should be dismantled, a decision he argued fell within his operational mandate, not the minister’s. The commissioner warned that the abrupt move threatened sensitive investigations, endangered witnesses, and left families of victims uncertain about justice.
“I could not take my own minister to court. The only person I could report this to was the president. I did so because I felt the minister had gone beyond his mandate. But to this day, I have never received any response,” Masemola testified.
He revealed that Mchunu, who is currently on leave of absence, never sought input from him, provincial commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, or task team leader Dumisani Khumalo before shutting down the unit. The Commission, chaired by Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, continues to probe allegations of criminal syndicates, political interference, and corruption in South Africa’s justice system.
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