National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola has testified that his boss, police minister Senzo Mchunu, told him President Cyril Ramaphosa was in agreement with the disbandment of the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team.
“The minister stated that he did not understand why we were so adamant that the PKTT [task team] must not be disbanded. He said the president was in agreement that the PKTT be disbanded,” Masemola told the Madlanga commission on Tuesday.
Masemola said Mchunu made the remarks at a meeting he had with SA Police Service (SAPS) management on March 27. The meeting was after Masemola briefed the president on February 1 2025, about Mchunu’s decision to disband the team without “any reasons”.
Mchunu’s disbanding of the political task team is a crucial part of the commission’s probe of KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s allegations of criminal syndicate infiltration to the justice cluster.
Masemola said, though, that he doubted Mchunu was telling the truth about Ramaphosa.
“I was quite taken aback by his revelations, since it was the president who, knowing about the effectiveness of the PKTT, had requested the PKTT to assist with Fort Hare University murder investigations,” he said.
“Moreover, the president, in our last briefing on the PKTT he was satisfied with the performance. Of course, it was [Mchunu] who said it; I do not know whether what he said [the president in agreement with disbandment] is true or not.”
He said when he briefed the president on February 1 2025, Ramaphosa was surprised and taken aback that the team had been disbanded with no reasons given.
Masemola is the second witness to take the stand at the commission established by Ramaphosa to investigate allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption within SA’s criminal justice system.
The commission hearings continue.
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