National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has launched a strong criticism against suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, accusing him of exceeding his constitutional mandate by ordering the immediate disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team. Masemola described this instruction as “a total encroachment” on his authority.
In a letter dated December 2024, Mchunu argued that the task team should be disbanded, claiming it no longer served a purpose or added value to the police service. However, Masemola rejected this directive in an affidavit submitted to the Madlanga Commission, asserting that the minister had blurred the lines between setting national policing priorities and interfering in operational decisions.
“My understanding is that the Minister is responsible for issuing national policing priorities, such as focusing on gangsterism or cash-in-transit heists,” Masemola explained during his testimony. “But the how – including deployment of personnel, resources, and operational decisions – is within my mandate as National Commissioner.”
Commissioner Mbuyiseli Madlanga pressed Masemola to clarify the distinction between policy direction and managerial execution. In response, Masemola maintained that Mchunu’s order to dissolve the task team without consultation or justification constituted a clear violation of operational independence.
“In this case, the Political Killings Task Team is a provincial structure. If the Minister had concerns, he could have raised them, and we would have engaged,” Masemola stated. “But to go as far as saying ‘disband now, not even tomorrow’ – that’s direct interference.”
Masemola emphasised that while the Minister is free to propose strategic priorities and comment on methods, the implementation of these strategies, particularly regarding resource allocation and operational decisions, remains the sole responsibility of the National Commissioner. “I don’t expect the Minister to instruct on how to perform operational functions,” he asserted.
This dispute highlights deep tensions within South Africa’s policing structure, particularly in light of rising political assassinations in provinces like KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The decision to disband a unit specifically tasked with investigating political killings raises serious concerns about the future of high-profile investigations and the independence of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
As the commission continues, South Africans are closely following the proceedings, especially after KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made allegations against Mchunu regarding political interference in the SAPS. Last week, Mkhwanazi implicated several MPs, including metro police officers in Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg, in corruption, further escalating the scrutiny on the police leadership.
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