By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Members of Parliament in the Ad Hoc Committee investigating infiltration and malfeasance within the police service on Friday, grilled the National Commissioner Fannie Masemola over a range of issues.
Masemola appeared before the committee investigating allegations that were made by KwaZulu Natal Police Commissioner Lt-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The latter said, his boss had closed down an elite unit investigating political murders after it uncovered a drug cartel with tentacles in the business sector, prison department, prosecution service and judiciary.
ActionSA’s Dereleen James covered several topics when it was her turn to question Masemola. She asked Masemola if he believed he had failed Babita Deokaran, a whistleblower who reported a series of fraudulent transactions at Gauteng’s Tembisa Hospital, who was fatally shot outside her home in August 2021.
Masemola responded: “No. I don’t believe I failed her.”
He said he only became aware that she was a whistleblower after she had been murdered.
Masemola added that while there were some measures in place to protect individuals flagged as exposing criminality, “by and large there’s no real mechanism for the protection of whistleblowers”.
The DA’s Lisa Schickerling also asked Masemola several questions about his actions relating to the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
She said he “never once said” that he was opposed to its closure, and that this new stance of his only started surfacing after Mkhwanazi’s press conference.
The national commissioner maintained that the PKTT still exists.
“It is still working. Never mind, yes, I might have done it differently. Anyone would have an opinion on how best you could have handled it but I handled my way, “he said.
Focusing on another issue, Schickerling pointed out to Masemola that official release of the country’s crime statistics had been delayed by more than two months. She asked if the “turmoil” being experienced in the police service was affecting its overall functioning.
Masemola responded: “One cannot deny that, yes indeed.”
He added the latest crime statistics would be released “soon.”
After the lunch break, Masemola faced questions from ANC MP Khusela Sangoni-Diko.
Sangoni-Diko asked whether the instability within Crime Intelligence was a “new phenomenon” that started with Mchunu.
Masemola replied that it was not, saying the instability began even before.
He added that it would be incorrect to blame the current issues within the division on the minister.
The national commissioner explained that Crime Intelligence has been weakened over the years, not only by officials but also by external influences.
“Since 2011, when under the previous presidency, the crime intelligence services were destroyed by the appointment of criminals to head crime intelligence.”
MK Party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo said the question on the classification of Phala Phala report fell within the scope of the parliamentary inquiry in so far as probing corruption and misuse of public resources at SAPS.
“The question is to make a determination whether a decision to declare the report top secret was correct or not and whether it is related to misuse and unethical behaviour,” Nomvalo said.
The committee chair Soviet Lekganyane upheld the point of order and Nomvalo continued asking about the classification of the report.
Masemola reiterated that he did not know whether the report was top secret or not.
Masemola’s testimony went beyond the PKTT, warning of “parallel structures” and criminal cartels infiltrating SAPS to undermine leadership. He denied the service is in crisis but admitted pressures from internal divisions and external influences.
Watch Live in the video below:
Video Courtesy of Parliament.