Mkhwanazi Claims Minister Mchunu Didn’t Write The PKTT Disbandment Letter

KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has made explosive claims that the letter ordering the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) was not written by suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu himself, but by hidden political forces manipulating events behind the scenes.

Testifying before Parliament’s ad-hoc committee investigating corruption within the criminal justice system on Wednesday, Mkhwanazi said, “I don’t believe Minister Mchunu wrote that letter. Someone made him sign it.”

He added, “If the minister was honest, he would say someone made me sign this, I did not write it myself… if he comes here and says it’s him then there will be trouble.”

The letter, dated December 2024, was sent to National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola and instructed the immediate disbandment of the PKTT. Mchunu reportedly justified the decision by claiming the unit had “no value,” though internal investigations later suggested the move was intended to protect individuals implicated in serious crimes.

‘No Consultation, No Logic’ Behind Disbandment

Mkhwanazi slammed the decision, calling it politically motivated and lacking procedural integrity. According to him, there had been no consultation, no briefing, and no logical explanation for disbanding the elite team tasked with investigating political assassinations in KwaZulu-Natal.

He alleged that the letter had been “drafted elsewhere” and possibly facilitated by Mchunu’s chief of staff, Cedrick Nkabinde. “Nkabinde told me the letter was going back and forth. That told me it was being crafted by others — not the minister himself,” Mkhwanazi testified.

The commissioner also revealed that he and National Commissioner Masemola believed the disbandment was linked to the protection of politically connected murder suspect Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who had been arrested shortly before the PKTT was dismantled.

Claims of Collusion Between Politicians and Police

Mkhwanazi’s testimony before the Madlanga Commission further connected Matlala to senior police officer General Shadrack Sibiya and Brown Mogotsi — both allegedly tied to Mchunu.

He described an alarming level of interference, with junior officers allegedly communicating directly with politicians to influence policing decisions. “You will have a Sibiya sending a WhatsApp message to the deputy minister. I don’t know who the deputy minister is,” he said.

The commissioner confirmed that investigations into these claims are ongoing.

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The PKTT was established to combat politically motivated killings in KwaZulu-Natal — a province long marred by corruption and violence. Its abrupt collapse has now raised fears of deep-rooted political interference in law enforcement.

As Parliament continues its probe, the central question remains: who truly ordered the task team’s downfall — and what were they trying to hide?

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