Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia stresses importance of due process in returning 121 dockets to KZN task team.
The acting Minister of Police, Professor Firoz Cachalia, has stressed the importance of due process as he raised concerns over the return of case dockets that were taken from the political killings task team in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola confirmed on Thursday that the 121 seized dockets will be returned to the province and checked against original records for discrepancies.
Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the KZN police commissioner, made shocking claims in July that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu gave deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya orders to dismantle the team.
Masemola confirmed task team dockets will be returned for investigation
Police seized the dockets in March.
Masemola told reporters that the dockets were traced at the Pretoria police headquarters during the second day of the 27th Interpol African Regional Conference in Cape Town.
ALSO READ: Trust in police falls: More than 60% of theft and robbery victims don’t report crimes
According to the general, he ordered their return to KZN for investigation.
“The detectives are busy with making copies, and then from there they will be sent back to the provincial commissioner, and he will allocate them back to the political killings task team, and investigations will continue,” Masemola said.
He added that he doesn’t anticipate any arrests coming from the dockets just yet because the cases were complicated and involved murder, attempted murder, and intimidation.
Mkhwanazi’s damning allegations
Mkhwanazi’s damning allegations of political interference in police matters shook the ministry and led to Mchunu’s suspension as police minister.
President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Professor Cachalia to act in Mchunu’s place and established a commission of inquiry to look into Mkhwanazi’s claims.
ALSO READ: 121 seized case dockets to be returned to KZN
In response to Masemola’s statement, Cachalia said on Friday that shortly after his appointment, he asked for a thorough report on the task team from the general; however, this report has not been submitted.
The acting minister said he is committed to maintaining South African Police Service (Saps) integrity and public trust.
“I recognise that the allegations made in relation to the Political Killings Task Team are of immense public interest,” he said in a statement.
Cachalia stresses importance of due process
Cachalia said the political killings task team lies at the heart of Mkhwanazi’s allegations and stressed that the Saps should wait for the Madlanga Judicial Commission of Inquiry to complete its investigation before taking action.
“It is a concern, therefore, that steps are being taken in relation to this matter before the Commission has had a chance to investigate the issues surrounding the Task Team,” the acting minister said.
ALSO READ: Here’s when the Madlanga commission investigating Mkhwanazi’s claims will start
He also urged the national commissioner to submit his overdue report on the task team immediately.
Chad Thomas from IRS Forensic Investigations said that Cachalia’s call for patience on the dockets was confusing and that there might be rift being created between the minister and Masemola.
“With all due respect to the minister, the commission has already been delayed. There is no way that even if the commission has started, the first interim report within three months and a so-called final report in six months, would have been forthcoming,” Thomas said to Newzroom Afrika on Friday night.
Commission delayed
“There is just too much that needs to be investigated. We are talking about 25 years of rot within the top leadership of Saps.”
The start of the Madlanga Judicial Commission of Inquiry has been delayed.
ALSO READ: Madlanga commission investigating Mkhwanazi’s claims delayed
In a statement on Tuesday, the commission said it has not yet set a new date for the inquiry.
“The commission regrets to announce that its hearings will not commence on 1 September 2025 due to delays in the procurement of vital infrastructure,” Jeremy Michaels, the commission spokesperson, said.
The commission placed the blame squarely on the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development for the delays, claiming they had failed to meet the procurement deadlines.
Expansion of task teams
Meanwhile, Masemola also revealed on Thursday that the ministry will be opening a leg of the political killings task team in Gauteng in the next four weeks to tackle the number of unresolved cases.
“We have a number of unresolved cases in Gauteng that are murders of politicians and also taxi-related [murders] that are quite complex,” he said.
NOW READ: Mkhwanazi ad hoc committee adopts draft terms of reference in ‘marathon’, ‘poorly managed’ meeting
