Senzo Mchunu Up Next To Face Parliament Over Political Killings Task Team Directive

Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu is set to testify before the parliamentary inquiry into corruption within the criminal justice system, where he will give his side of the story regarding his controversial directive to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).

Mchunu is expected  to take the stand on Thursday, 16 October, to share his testimony, with questioning by members of the Ad Hoc Committee scheduled for Tuesday next week.

Committee chairperson Soviet Lekganyane confirmed the schedule, saying:

“We will be with him on the 16th of October and he will conclude his evidence on Friday the 17th. He will then come back next week Tuesday for questions from members.”

Lekganyane added that former Police Minister Bheki Cele would be the next witness to appear before the committee.

Background to the Controversy

The inquiry follows explosive allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi during a press briefing on 6 July, where he claimed that criminal syndicates had infiltrated the police and justice system.

Months earlier, on 31 December 2024, Mchunu had issued a directive to National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola to disband the PKTT, which he argued was no longer required.

However, testimony before the committee has suggested that Mchunu lacked the authority to dissolve the task team. Both Mkhwanazi and Masemola told MPs that the PKTT had been established following a directive from the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC), and was therefore accountable to Masemola, not the minister.

Mkhwanazi further alleged that Mchunu never consulted him about the decision and was not briefed on the task team’s operations or performance. He even questioned whether Mchunu authored the disbandment directive himself, urging Parliament to establish what led to him signing the letter dated 31 December 2024.

Searches Target Senzo Mchunu’s Associates

Mchunu’s testimony comes just a week after police executed search and seizure warrants at the homes of suspended Deputy Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya and Mchunu’s chief of staff Cedrick Nkabinde, where electronic devices including laptops and cellphones were confiscated.

According to sources, officers attempting to carry out a search at Mchunu’s residence were stopped at the gate by police providing security at his home. This led Mchunu’s legal team to file a complaint with the Ad Hoc Committee, calling the police’s actions “intimidatory.”

In their letter, Mchunu’s lawyers argued that the seizures were linked to testimony made by Mkhwanazi before the inquiry and the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, describing the searches as “a fishing expedition designed to bolster unproven allegations.”

“This conduct is unacceptable as it compromises the investigation currently before the Ad Hoc Committee. Our client simply does not know what may happen to the mobile phones that the police want to seize,” the letter stated.

Political Killings Task Team at the Heart of the Storm

The PKTT was originally formed under police management after an Inter-Ministerial Committee directive to develop a strategy for investigating politically motivated killings.

However, following its disbandment, Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi laid a criminal complaint against those he believed were involved in attempts to shut it down — accusing them of defeating the ends of justice.

“For now, what we are accusing the minister of, is the minister’s failure to protect the organisation,” Mkhwanazi told the inquiry.

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