City of Johannesburg MMC Kenny Kunene was at the residence of murder accused Katiso “KT” Molefe not once but twice during police operations.
This revelation by national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola rattled the Patriotic Alliance (PA) bench represented in parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating the allegations by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi in his explosive July 6 press conference.
The ad hoc committee heard testimony, under oath, from Mkhwanazi and Masemola last week.
Late on Friday, as the nation began winding down after a week of high drama, including a raid by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) at the home of tender tycoon Hangwani Maumela, a search and seizure operation by the police at the home of deputy police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya and Molefe’s release on R400,000 bail, PA MP Ashley Sauls sought to reverse the damage done by Masemola’s revelation that Kunene was found at Molefe’s residence not once but twice.
Kunene had stepped aside from his post as transport MMC for the City of Johannesburg after he was found at Molefe’s home during his arrest in August. The PA deputy president was suspended by the party, which instituted an investigation into the matter by law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr.
Two weeks ago, the firm cleared Kunene of wrongdoing, corroborating his explanation for his presence at Molefe’s home. At the time, Kunene said he was there with a journalist from news outlet Africa News Global who sought an interview with Molefe.
However, while being questioned by EFF leader Julius Malema in parliament on Friday, Masemola revealed that Kunene’s presence during Molefe’s arrest (with the journalist) was the second time he had pitched up at Molefe’s home during police operations.
During a separate police operation on a different occasion at Moelefe’s residence, Kunene arrived at the home and “was shown the road” by police officials.
“Yeah, the first time he turned at the gate, they were inside busy. He came to the gate and they showed him the road and luckily ... he went for the road,” Masemola said.
Masemola’s assertion that Kunene was at Molefe’s house on a previous occasion renders the entire process the PA underwent to clear his name farcical
Masemola did not provide details about when the first incident occurred.
This first visit was not captured by the law firm’s investigation and in fact contradicts it. The report was released by the PA in full and used to put pressure on the ANC to reinstate Kunene to his MMC post.
The investigation report indicates that Kunene met Molefe through a friend and may have been at the same social occasions in the past but they had never exchanged contact details.
Kunene was sworn in on Friday, after direct intervention by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was moved by PA president Gayton McKenzie’s threats to pull out of all coalitions with the ANC from the City of Johannesburg to the government of national unity if Kunene was not reinstated. The ANC’s Johannesburg leadership was contemplating replacing Kunene with an EFF MMC.
Kunene was re-reappointed to the post of transport MMC in the City of Johannesburg last Monday.
While Sauls tried hard to get Masemola to retract his comment, he was unsuccessful. He alleged that Masemola could not say with certainty that Kunene had visited Molefe’s home twice, but the police commissioner stood firm saying this is what his team on the ground had reported to him.
Most of the evidence presented by Masemola on operational matters was as a result of briefings from his members. Sauls’ line of questioning — that the commissioner had not seen Kunene himself and it was therefore an allegation — was nonsensical.
Masemola’s assertion that Kunene was at Molefe’s house on a previous occasion renders the entire process the PA underwent to clear his name farcical and raises questions about his relationship with Molefe due to the extent the party went to shield him.
Crucially, it further taints the chaotic ANC-run coalition in the hotly contested City of Johannesburg.
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