Deputy Police Minister Cassel Mathale has described Public Service and Administration Minister Senzo Mchunu’s directive to dissolve the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team as “unusual” and “problematic.” Mathale made these remarks while testifying before Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating the controversial decision.
According to Mathale, Mchunu’s letter — issued in December 2024 — instructed police officials to immediately disband the unit and submit a closure report within a month. The task team had been established in 2018 to investigate politically motivated murders across the province. Mathale said he only became aware of the instruction through social media and had not been consulted beforehand.
He added that the decision was “not practical” and questioned the minister’s failure to engage senior police management, including the national commissioner, before issuing such an order. National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola confirmed he was on leave when the directive was sent and had also not been briefed.
Mathale defended the task team’s performance, saying it had achieved significant progress in tackling political killings and deserved to continue its work. He further noted that disbanding the unit without due consultation undermined coordination between political and operational leadership within the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Mchunu, however, maintained that his letter was an administrative decision made within his authority. He admitted, though, that he had not discussed the matter with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who originally established the unit.
The controversy has raised concerns about transparency, accountability, and communication within government structures. The parliamentary inquiry is expected to make recommendations on how future decisions of this magnitude should be handled to prevent similar tensions between ministers and law enforcement authorities.