National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) director of public prosecutions for KwaZulu-Natal Elaine Harrison has criticised suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu's decision to disband the political killings task team (PKTT).
In a letter dated December 31 2024 from Mchunu to national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola, Mchunu instructed Masemola to disband the PKTT in the province.
“My observation in this regard as indicated above is that further existence of this team is no longer required nor is it adding any value to policing in South Africa,” Mchunu said in the letter.
“I therefore direct that the political killings task team be disestablished immediately. Further, that a preliminary report in this regard be submitted to the minister by January 20 2025. The final and closing report must be submitted to the ministry management executive committee meeting late January 2025, the date of which will be communicated as soon as possible.”
Testifying at the Madlanga commission of inquiry on Friday, Harrison said she did not see the need for the disbandment of the PKTT.
“After everything is said and done and everything that went into providing the coordinated approach and establishing this coordinated team, I would have strongly motivated against the disestablishment,” Harrison said.
“If I had been approached for a comment, I would have gone against it.”
She said this is because the team had shown it was working.
“At that time, it was very evident the team was working well, and to disestablish it would be counterproductive and destructive of the vast amount of work that had gone into shaping the systems and structures that were working well.”
Instead, Harrison said the NPA would have invested more time to go through the cases, as it had invested a lot in the investigations.
On Tuesday Masemola told the commission Mchunu told him President Cyril Ramaphosa was in agreement with the disbandment of the PKTT when he doubted Mchunu's instruction.
“The minister stated he did not understand why we were so adamant the PKTT must not be disbanded. He said the president was in agreement the PKTT be disbanded,” Masemola said.
“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.”
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