PKTT was accused of human rights abuses: Mchunu

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu is giving evidence at the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria on December 4, 2025.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has testified at the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria that the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) has been accused of human rights abuses.

Mchunu, who is on special leave, says the complaints against the PKTT were brought to his attention after he was appointed in 2024.

He further testifies that the complaints and reports came from civil society groups, whistleblowers, the South African Police Service (SAPS) members, and others.

Mchunu is testifying over his decision to disband the PKTT, which many witnesses argued was beyond his jurisdiction.

He says, “These reports raise concerns about human rights abuses by members of the National Political Killings Task Team (NPKTT), among others. They also raise concerns around issues of governance failures affecting various temporary and ad hoc task teams, and those include, but not limited to, the PKTT. They were raising issues across SAPs, especially on task teams.”

OPERATIONAL MATTERS

Mchunu has also dispelled the notion that the police minister does not take part in operational matters in the SAPS.

He faced criticism over the disbandment of the PKTT on December 31, 2024.

Mchunu maintains that his decision to disband the PKTT was correct.

He says, “I want to point out right at the beginning that we dispel the notion that the minister of police has no operational, although I put it inside italics, has no operational role whatsoever insofar as police are concerned. It will be remembered. It is solely for that reason that I make that statement that there are no powers and there was no civilian and ministerial control over the functions, which resulted in grave abuses of human rights.