KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has revealed he tried to reach out to then police minister Senzo Mchunu to discuss Mchunu’s decision to disband the political killings task team (PKTT).
Speaking before parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system, Mkhwanazi said he sent Mchunu a WhatsApp message requesting to meet with him, national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola, crime intelligence boss Dumisani Khumalo, head of counter-intelligence Maj-Gen Feroz Khan and Mchunu’s alleged comrade Brown Mogotsi to discuss his concerns about the disbandment of the task team, as he was not formally informed of the decision.
He said he sent the message after he tried to reach out to several people in Mchunu’s office, including chief of staff Cedric Nkabinde, to try to meet with him and talk about the letter, but it did not happen.
The WhatsApp message read: “Please forgive me for writing directly to you, but I feel I must respectfully request a meeting to deal with internal issues within our organisation that have the potential to disturb our crime-fighting efforts.
“I tried to reach out through Nkabinde in his private capacity early in January and later spoke to him in his capacity as chief of staff. I then made a request to the national commissioner to try to secure a meeting before our appearance at the portfolio committee on police.
“The issue is escalating and has the potential to demoralise our hard-working members, and there are even some politicians who are using the social media posts to sow division within the SAPS.
“I don’t like what’s happening, hence I feel the minister must call us into a meeting so we can iron out everything that is dominating the media space. It is my plea that the minister call the national commissioner, Khumalo, myself, Gen Khan, Nkabinde and Mogotsi to get to the bottom of the problem.”
Mogotsi’s presence was needed as he’s believed to be close to Mchunu and knew about the disbandment of the task team before it was announced, Mkhwanazi said.
He said Mchunu acknowledged receipt of his WhatsApp message and promised to revert back but never did.
Mkhwanazi said he raised concern that the potential involvement of Mogotsi in police matters was worrying.
“My take on the presence of Mogotsi in SAPS meetings and his access to police matters is a violation of the very security we want to protect as the police. This is the highest infiltration you can think of from a politician, as he has claimed to be a member of a political party, and the minister claimed to be his comrade. This is part of the reason I want to discuss this with the minister because it is going to have serious consequences going forward.”
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