National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola has denied writing a letter instructing the closure of the political killings task team, disputing what one of his management team members said.
On Sunday, deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya said he received a letter from Masemola, instructing him to disband the task team.
Sibiya was responding to the explosive claims made by KZN commissioner, Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who fingered police minister Senzo Mchunu for being behind the closure of the unit.
In his allegations, Mkhwanazi said the disbandment of the political killings task team was influenced by the sterling work it performed in Gauteng to uncover a drug cartel, which he said includes top politicians, members of the judiciary, prosecutors and some police officers.
“It is the national police commissioner who wrote me a letter telling me what he wants done and by when — not the minister. I received a letter from the national commissioner that says he wants this by this date — ours to implement,” Sibiya said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.
Listen as the top cops contradict each other:
However, on Wednesday Masemola refuted this claim. “I’m sure you have not seen any letter that I've signed to close the unit. I have not signed it and I don't think anybody has ever seen a letter where I've signed off the closure of the unit,” he said.
Masemola was speaking at the firearms destruction operations in Gauteng on Wednesday. He refused to dwell on the questions about political influence and declined to answer whether anyone was under investigation in that regard.
Mkhwanazi also accused Sibiya of obstructing justice, stalling investigations into political assassinations and organised crime, and shielding politically connected suspects.
He alleged that on March 26 a total of 121 case dockets under investigation were taken away from the task team as directed by Sibiya, acting on the instruction of Mchunu, to disband the task team.
Mkhwanazi said that was done without the authority of the national or the provincial commissioner.
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