Human rights activist and violence monitor Dr Mary de Haas, who has been accused of influencing suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu’s directive to disband the political killings task team (PKTT), has revealed the reasons behind her letter requesting the task team’s disbandment.
De Haas wrote to Mchunu in October requesting that he disband the task team, citing alleged abuse by members of the unit against suspects they were investigating and gross wastage of resources by the PKTT.
The letter stated: “I requested you instruct the national commissioner to immediately disband the irregularly constituted, unnecessary and wasteful PKTT and send its investigators back to the detective units.
“The national commissioner must immediately stop the deployment of Khumalo, who heads crime intelligence, to the task team, which he did not have the qualifications and experience to command in the first place. Why is he being allowed to occupy these positions simultaneously for neither of which he has qualifications?”
De Haas followed up with a second letter in November, which was then succeeded by Mchunu’s directive on December 31.
Testifying before parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption and political interference in the criminal justice system on Tuesday, de Haas said the abuse reported to her was the motivation for writing the letter.
“There was emotional, physical and psychological abuse,” De Haas said. “I’ve heard about it. I’ve heard about people having to get psychiatric help.”
She alleged the task team was infamous for fabricating evidence, conducting searches without a warrant, and seizing cellphones without a warrant.
She told the committee about a man named Ronald Pillay, who allegedly refused to give false evidence against a former member of the MK Party named Zinhle. Pillay was allegedly forced to sign a statement implicating Zinhle.
“He made an affidavit about it and said they kept harassing him; they would come to search his house without a warrant. He doesn’t know for sure, but his house was set on fire by them. He was persecuted psychologically.”
She said she wrote the letter because of the horrific stories she had heard.
“I was hearing horror stories, human being suffering.
“I wrote the letters because I was horrified by what I was hearing, and I thought of the expense.”
De Haas said she never received a response to her letter and learnt about Mchunu’s disbandment directive only on January 2 through a police WhatsApp group chat.
“I was amazed. I was astonished. I never thought the minister would act. I’ve never seen him act on things I’ve asked him before.”
She dismissed the allegations that she wrote Mchunu’s letter as “nonsense”.
Mchunu previously told the committee that the decision to issue the directive was entirely his own and that he was not influenced by anyone. He also said he saw no reason to consult anyone regarding the decision.
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