Suspended Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu, has revealed that KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi reacted angrily to a letter announcing the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) and even threatened to “fight back” if the decision was not withdrawn.
Mchunu made the revelation while testifying before the parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system. He is the fourth witness to appear before the committee, following Mkhwanazi, national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola, and deputy national commissioner for crime detection Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya.
According to Mchunu, his chief of staff, Cedrick Nkabinde, informed him about Mkhwanazi’s reaction. Mchunu said Nkabinde told him that Mkhwanazi was angry and demanded that the letter be withdrawn. When Mchunu was told that Mkhwanazi had warned of a “fightback” if the letter was not withdrawn, he said he was surprised and questioned why the matter had affected Mkhwanazi so deeply.
Mchunu said he later played a recording of a conversation between Mkhwanazi and Nkabinde in which the threats were allegedly made. He added that Mkhwanazi’s media briefing on July 6 was triggered by the same disbandment letter.
In his earlier testimony, Mkhwanazi said he only learned of the letter after it was circulated on social media. He claimed he tried to contact several people in Mchunu’s office, including Nkabinde, before eventually sending Mchunu a WhatsApp message requesting a meeting.
Mkhwanazi said he wanted the meeting to include Mchunu, Masemola, crime intelligence head Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, counterintelligence chief Maj-Gen Feroz Khan, and Brown Mogotsi, who was believed to be close to Mchunu and allegedly knew about the disbandment beforehand.
However, Mchunu said the proposed meeting was irregular and inappropriate. He explained that such a structure did not exist within the police and that it was improper to involve Mogotsi, who is not part of the SAPS, in internal discussions.
He added that although he refused to attend that meeting, he was willing to meet with Mkhwanazi privately to discuss personal matters affecting him and his family.
Edited by Matlala Kgaugelo
