Deputy police minister Cassel Mathale says his boss, suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu, expressed his unhappiness about the political killings task team (PKTT) despite its success and hinted at the need to disestablish it, but he never discussed the December 31 directive to disband it before it was issued.
Mathale is the sixth witness to appear before parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of political interference and infiltration in the criminal justice system.
Among other things, the committee is investigating the alleged unlawful disbandment of the PKTT by Mchunu and alleged political interference in the SAPS.
In his testimony to parliament, Mchunu defended his decision to send the directive to disband the task team, saying he was well within his constitutional rights to do so without consulting anyone.
He said he convened several meetings with his two deputies, where they discussed matters in the SAPS since his appointment in July last year. They decided to inform police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola of what was discussed, which prompted him to issue a directive to disband the PKTT on December 31.
Mathale conceded he was part of the meetings and that the PKTT was discussed.
“He raised the matter that it must be disestablished, and we had discussions around that,” Mathale said, but he didn’t recall the exact date when this happened.
“We have had discussions around the structure and the need for us to handle things to strengthen our capacity so we don’t have to create task teams to deal with specific challenges.”
He said he was not consulted about the decision to disband the task team and that he first saw the letter circulating on social media, but only had an opportunity to discuss it with Mchunu in January after the letter was sent out.
“We had been interacting all along about other things, but this was not one of them. He didn’t consult with me. The only time he spoke to me was when the letter was sent out.”
He said he first dismissed the letter, as it was “odd”, and didn’t understand the motive behind it, but didn’t question it because an executive decision was made by the minister.
“I first dismissed it because it was odd, but when he confirmed he wrote it, I didn’t understand what could’ve motivated him to pen such a letter in the manner he did.
“I had a problem because the way it was written made it difficult to comprehend how it would materialise. It was not practical to do those things.”
He described the letter as “problematic and unusual”, especially the emphasis on “immediately”.
“The letter came as a surprise, particularly the ‘immediate’ and the deadlines set. That, to me, was a problem, because the people who can close this are the operatives out of an engagement.
“It was unusual, not exciting, but problematic.
“It was difficult to put my thoughts together to understand why he wrote the letter, when he did, and the circumstances surrounding it. I don’t know what he was going through.”
Mchunu said he didn’t see the need to consult Masemola, KZN police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and crime intelligence boss Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, as key figures investigating political killings.
“The ultimate dissolution would have to take place after interacting with relevant role players,” Mathale said.
The hearing continues.
TimesLIVE
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