Cyril Ramaphosa says he will wait for the final reports from the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee before uttering a comment. But behind that pause lies a story with a twist nobody saw coming.
For weeks the country has held its breath: the question wasn’t just what was happening — but why. The legal framework of law and order has been pushed to its limits. It all revolves around the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) — a unit meant to tackle politically‑motivated violence in provinces such as KwaZulu‑Natal. The unit’s closure sent shockwaves. And now, the disclosures are explosive.
Senzo Mchunu, then Police Minister, told MPs that he informed the president about the closure of the PKTT. In his testimony he claimed that his briefing was approved.
But other evidence contradicts this. Fannie Masemola, National Police Commissioner, testified the president was “taken aback” when he was briefed in February 2025.
Masemola testified to the Madlanga Commission that he personally informed Ramaphosa of the minister’s plan to disband the PKTT — and yet received no clear direction.
A letter signed on 31 December 2024 ordered the immediate disbandment of the unit. Most of Parliament sided with Mchunu’s view despite the unit’s successes.
Legality is in question: SAPS’s own legal chief testified the minister’s move “fell outside his mandate”.
The result? A full‑blown crisis: the president “waiting” is more than a gesture — it might signal deeper fractures inside the ruling party and state machinery. The unit dismantled, state witnesses in open conflict, and a president left publicly still.
For mobile readers in Nigeria (and beyond): picture this — the task force tackling political assassinations is shut down. The man who claims the president agreed. The police boss who says he was left in the dark. A president who now says: “I’ll speak after the report.” The angle is not just about one country. It’s about power, accountability and the shocking question: who was really calling the shots?
Ramaphosa’s promise to hold comment until after the Madlanga Commission and Parliament’s inquiry report are in isn’t a sign of restraint — it’s a hint of something bigger. Stay tuned: when those reports drop, the truth will hit harder than the silence has so far.