By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System (the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry) continued to cross examine iced Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
Mchunu was relentlessly cross-examined on his second day at the commission, as Commission Chair Mbuyiseli Madlanga systematically poked holes in his version that there was nothing improper about his decision to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
In his testimony on Friday, Mchunu told the commission that his office had received complaints from eight whistleblowers, including human rights activist Mary de Haas and alleged SAPS whistleblower Patricia Mashale.
The minister explained that concerns came from a broad spectrum of sources, including civil society organisations, whistleblowers, members of parliament, police officers, and members of the public.
Evidence Leader Advocate Mahlape Sello asked whether Mchunu had tested the claims made online.
Mchunu said he submitted the names of the whistleblowers to the commission to enable assessment of whether his decision to disband the PKTT was justified.
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi SC challenged Mchunu to clarify the substance of these complaints.
“Minister, under this heading, human rights concerns… you say these reports raise concerns about the human rights abuses by members of the PKTT,” said Baloyi.
She reminded Mchunu that the inquiry was specifically focused on why he had decided to disband the unit and asked for concrete examples rather than general references.
Mchunu responded that the complaints highlighted several issues, including members of the PKTT wearing balaclavas during operations, unclear reporting lines, allegations of overreach, duplication of functions with the murder and robbery unit, which he said was a significant strain on SAPS resources.
He argued that these factors, coupled with whistleblower reports, informed his decision.
Baloyi, however, pressed on the connection between the complaints and the decision to disband.
“I don’t know what those eight names have to do with your decision to disband the PKTT, if they do at all… because I don’t know what the issues are about the eight, I’m not in a position to say whether you validly or correctly took them into account.”
Mchunu confirmed that the whistleblower reports fell under broader concerns listed in his statement, which included human rights violations and governance failures.
He explained that the details had been condensed into general categories for confidentiality and legal reasons.
The minister told the commission that PKTT members’ alleged human rights abuses were serious enough to warrant intervention.
He said the complaints highlighted patterns of operational behaviour that raised questions about oversight, accountability, and adherence to established processes.
“Some of the reports indicated that members acted beyond their mandate,” Mchunu said.
He stressed that while these issues were initially reported through SAPS internal channels, persistent concerns escalated to him when whistleblowers and civil society actors felt there was insufficient resolution.
Commissioners noted that the allegations, while serious, were intertwined with other operational challenges, such as resource constraints and overlapping responsibilities with other SAPS units.
Drama meanwhile unfolded at the commission after an evidence leader objected to the manner of the re-examination of Mchunu by his legal representative.
Sello SC objected to the extent of Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC’s re-examination of Mchunu after he concluded giving evidence at the commission.
A visibly exasperated Sello interjected while Ngcukaitobi was re-examining Mchunu.
“Chair, I apologise Ngcukaitobi, I beg your forgiveness. I have bitten my tongue for a long time, on particularly this that Ngcukaitobi is ‘re-examining’ the witness. None of that evidence has been led before this commission. The issues that he has spent a significant time speaking to are matters that are going to be dealt with in the second part of the inquiry,” she explained.
Sello said she struggled to understand how the issues on which Ngcukaitobi was re-examining Mchunu could possibly fall under the category of re-examination.
Madlanga said he was given to understand that the evidence leaders and Mchunu’s legal counsel had reached an agreement that what would be addressed at this stage would be the disbandment only of the PKTT by the minister.
Sello said Ngcukaitobi strayed beyond re-examination and that the moment he went beyond the disestablishment of the PKTT he went beyond the parameters of the agreement reached between the evidence leaders and Mchunu’s legal team but these issues will not be found in the transcript in the evidence when it was led by the minister.
She said Ngcukaitobi made references to Matlala and his relationship with Mchunu as well as ANC fixer and businessman Brown Mogotsi and the R360m SAPS contract.
In response, the suspended minister firmly denied any wrongdoing connected to alleged criminal figures Matlala and Katiso “KT” Molefe, stating that he had no improper dealings with them and had never used his office to benefit individuals facing criminal scrutiny.
Mchunu also emphasised that restructuring within the police service was often misinterpreted as interference, arguing that operational decisions were made on advice from senior SAPS management.
He reiterated that the fight against politically motivated killings remained a priority and that the broader decline in such cases over recent years reflected “consistent institutional efforts rather than personal influence”.
The commission concluded its public hearings for 2025 on (Friday), 5 December and will deliver the interim report to President Cyril Ramaphosa by 17 December, which is the revised deadline as set out in the amended Terms of Reference.