Former acting national police commissioner Lt-Gen Khomotso Phahlane has requested additional time to present his evidence to parliament’s ad hoc committee probing allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system.
The committee allocated only a day for him to present his evidence.
Phahlane submitted an affidavit before his appearance on Wednesday.
When he took the stand, he started by raising concern that a day would not be adequate for him to go through his 168-page affidavit.
“I surely don’t want to be here and run issues for the sake of running issues.
“It was important for me to provide context insofar as the affidavit is concerned and considering the amount of time we took putting this affidavit [together].
“So I would appreciate that we do justice to the matters that have been raised [in the affidavit],” he said.
Parties represented in the committee agreed that Phahlane should start his evidence, and if another day is required, they would make a determination.
This led to committee chair Soviet Lekganyane saying Phahlane should not worry now.
“Let’s run the proceedings, and at the appropriate time, a determination will be made, and if the committee feels that there is a need for [an] extension, it will arrive at that,” he said.
Phahlane was appointed acting commissioner of the SAPS in October 2015, and in July 2017 he was asked to step aside by then police minister Fikile Mbalula after allegations of corruption and interference in police investigations, and he was later dismissed.
Last year, now suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu’s chief of staff, Cedrick Nkabinde, said forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan and former police watchdog boss Robert McBride plotted against Phahlane because they wanted McBride to be the national commissioner.
O’Sullivan and McBride are yet to appear before the committee.
The proceedings continue.
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