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FILE | Former Police Minister Bheki Cele speaks at a press briefing.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu says he never received a handover from his predecessor, Bheki Cele, regarding the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
Cele served as Police Minister from February 2018 until June last year.
Mchunu, who has been placed on special leave, is appearing before Parliament’s ad hoc committee.
He has maintained that he took the decision to disband the task team because the South African Police Service (SAPS) resources needed to be spread evenly throughout the country, and the task team was not funded.
Mchunu told African National Congress (ANC) MP Khusela Diko there were no handover notes involving the PKTT. “Not as I read it, what was there was a reference to committees the minister was serving, not necessarily the PKTT in any form.”
KD: Did he say why he didn’t shut down the unit himself? Was it the 2019 implementation plan?
SM: Really, we didn’t delve into that matter.
VIDEO | Mchunu answers questions from MP Ashley Sauls:
Cele is scheduled to testify on Thursday and Friday. He served as Police Minister from February 2018 to June 2024.
He would have overseen the operations of the Political Killings Task Team during his tenure, as the Task Team was established in 2018.
Meanwhile, Mchunu has denied interfering in the work of the South African Police Service. He also disputed claims by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that certain incidents amounted to political interference.
Mchunu says he is not aware that he had interfered in the work of the police.
“To be honest, I don’t know of a case where I would have interfered; it sounded strange when I heard it. What happened before, I don’t know, I listened to instances he made and I don’t agree that that constitutes political interference.”
