By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee investigating police corruption resumed on Tuesday with Deputy Minister of Police Polly Boshielo testifying.
Boshielo provided the committee with information on the current state of policing in the country, and her knowledge of the disbanding of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) by Senzo Mchunu.
She told the committee that she learned of Mchunu’s directive to disband the PKTT on social media, like her fellow colleague Cassel Mathale did, She, too, believed the letter was fake.
“The minister called me around 6 or 7 January to inform me that the letter that was circulating was not fake. I was a little bit disappointed that I thought we were working together, and he could have, maybe, as deputy ministers, discussed it with us.”
Maybe as the executive authority, he felt that he didn’t want to discuss it with us, but I was disappointed.”
Boshielo confirmed that although the meeting she held with Mchunu, Mathale and the national commissioner did touch on the PKTT, “it was not discussed in full; it was just in passing”.
Remember, I did not even know what their operations are and what they’re doing because we were still busy calling different sections to brief us, so I did not necessarily know about it, and we did not discuss it in detail, “she said.
Boshielo believes that Mchunu and the police commissioners should have met and been able to discuss the issues that were raised in that letter, “rather than start writing letters to each other”.
“The issue with the letter is that it was already sent to the national commissioner, and it was addressed only to him. If he had sought input from me as the deputy minister, I would have done so.
It was of no use for me to even ask for input because the letter was already out, and he confirmed it was his letter.”
She further said Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s 6 July media briefing surprised her, because “we had meetings and he didn’t raise those issues in the meetings that we normally have at Saps”.
However, she did admit that there were issues among top police management, which affected operations.
“In a meeting with deputy ministers, the minister and the national commissioner, we raised a concern that the minister and the national commissioner are not communicating as they should and as a result, it frustrates us and also other senior managers,” she said.
“We asked them to sort out whatever it is so that we can work. We also raised that they should meet with General Mkhwanazi and General Shadrack Sibiya and sort everything out.”
DA MP Ian Cameron and IFP MP Albert Mncwango raised concerns about alleged links between SAPS officials and businessmen Vusimuzi Matlala and Oupa Mogotsi.
Boshielo distanced herself, saying she did not know Matlala or Mogotsi.
However, she confirmed that Mchunu had personally questioned Matlala’s tender in December 2024, even after the SAPS Supply Chain Management division found it compliant.
“Mchunu insisted the contract be cancelled,” she said, adding that an internal audit later confirmed irregularities, leading to the tender’s withdrawal five months after its award.
Committee chair Soviet Lekganyane closed proceedings, announcing that Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia will testify on Wednesday morning.
Watch Live in the video below:
Video Courtesy of Parliament.