Suspended Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu is set to return to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Thursday morning after a short but highly scrutinised two-hour appearance earlier this week. His testimony on Tuesday in Pretoria offered an initial explanation for his controversial decision to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), but it also triggered intense political backlash.
Mchunu maintained that the PKTT had been functioning outside its legal boundaries, arguing that the unit’s continued operations were “unlawful” and in violation of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). According to his account, shutting it down was necessary to rectify what he viewed as procedural and financial irregularities. Yet his justification left many questioning the timing and sincerity of the move, especially given the task team’s critical role in investigating political violence.
His stance has already sparked fierce reactions, with critics accusing him of evasion and dishonesty. Former EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi was among the first to openly challenge him, initially saying “He Sounds Worse Than Mkhwanazi” and asserting that Mchunu is “not being honest.” Ndlozi went further in his assessment, declaring: “The ANC can’t possibly convince us that there is a way to renew a calibre of a leader in Mchunu. No amount of political reeducation, rehabilitation or revival can save this chap! No program of action can ever make such a persons see light. Because HE REFUSES TO SEE THE LIGHT!”
He also criticised the manner in which Mchunu arrived for his testimony, stating: “He arrived there in the commission in a convoy of blue lights and state paid bodyguards, on full cabinet ministerial pay! And with all this comfort: he takes platform to INSULTS the intelligence of the very nation that affords him this very comfort!”
These reactions reflect growing frustration as the inquiry continues to expose internal fractures within law-enforcement leadership. For communities affected by political killings, the uncertainty surrounding the PKTT’s dissolution is particularly troubling, and Mchunu’s explanations have only deepened calls for clarity.
When he returns to the stand on Thursday, the commission is expected to press him further on the inconsistencies raised during his first appearance. Whether Mchunu can offer more convincing, transparent answers remains to be seen — but the public scrutiny surrounding him is clearly intensifying.