Mkhwanazi and National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola will give evidence in Parliament over four days.
Malema’s warning as Mkhwanazi heads to Parliament
Security will be stepped up when KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi appears before Parliament’s ad-hoc committee next week.
The committee met on Friday to discuss final preparations for its meetings with witnesses from next week. The committee must finalise its investigations by the end of October.
Mkhwanazi and National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola will give evidence in Parliament over four days.
As they will be testifying in person, Parliament’s Chief of Security, Lieutenant General Samson Shitlabane, told the committee security would be ramped up.
“In terms of law enforcement, we are ready. We have been interacting with the national components that will support us, and we can safely say we are ready to resume in terms of security arrangements.
“I think the advantage that we should also understand is that it [the Good Hope Chamber in Parliament] is already a security venue. So what we’re bringing is just additional security. You know, sort of elements that would support [us].
He said a 24-hour Vulnerability Operations Centre would be in place to secure the IT infrastructure from attack, and security forces from the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape, and the national police service would also provide constant briefings on potential risks.
Malema fuming
EFF leader Julius Malema is part of the committee and noted a concerning incident where committee staff allegedly rejected public complaints for investigation by the committee.
“What criteria do we use to exclude other public submissions?” he asked, “Because we’re already receiving calls here that ‘the staff responded and said my submission does not qualify for me to be called to come and testify.’
“Where do they get such power from? Because those public submissions are not invited by staff members. They’re invited by us. Let them bring the submissions that were received from the public, and we’ll go through them.”
He said “outrightly” dismissing submissions was “an abuse of power.”
“If we’re going to start like that, where we invite the public and then we come and silence it … Please look into that chair. It’s very important.”
Committee chair, Soviet Lekganyane, stated that the matter was being investigated.
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Mkhwanazi’s testimony to Madlanga Commission
Mkhwanazi’s meeting with the committee will come nearly three weeks after he testified at the Madlanga Commission looking into political interference and collusion with criminal elements within the police.
There, he warned that the criminal justice system risks total collapse if nothing is done about the corruption and sabotage.
He repeated his allegations of interference by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, and claimed there is evidence proving his involvement with crime syndicates.
Among these interferences was Mchunu’s directive to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), which witnesses later confirmed was outside of his jurisdiction as minister. Mkhwanazi said he had heard of the decision to disband the unit and the movement of 121 related case dockets from businessman Brown Mogotsi.
He also accused former police minister Bheki Cele of attempting to interfere with an investigation and subsequent disciplinary hearing against Major General Feroz Khan, who heads the Counter-Intelligence and Security Intelligence division.
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Additional reporting by Vhahangwele Nemakonde
