Suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu opened his evidence at the Madlanga commission on Tuesday by stating he had never been accused of corruption before July 6.
This was the day KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi held a press conference claiming Mchunu is allegedly involved with a criminal syndicate that has infiltrated the criminal justice system.
“I have never been accused of corruption, not once,” Mchunu told the commission. “This is the first time I get accused of such, as alleged particularly on July 6,” said Mchunu, who arrived at the hearing with a legal team that included advocate Thembeka Ngcukaitobi.
Mkhwanazi has accused Mchunu of being influenced by criminal cartels to disband the political killings task team (PKTT) as they thought it was investigating them after the raids that took place at two alleged cartel members, Katiso “KT” Molefe and Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, on December 6 last year.
However, Mchunu said in his testimony he was never briefed about any raid “or any operation resembling what can be known as the December 6 raid”.
Mchunu said the PKTT was not a permanent structure of the SAPS and had not been budgeted for. Its budget had to be taken from various units.
“Government projects are time-bound; they don’t run indefinitely.”
The PKKT would have been dissolved in 2024, as it would not have co-existed with other specialised units, he said, adding that would have been an unnecessary duplication.
The hearing continues.
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