‘I couldn’t understand the reasons’: Acting police minister on PKTT disbandment

Acting minister of police Firoz Cachalia says he still does not understand the reasons for suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s decision to disband the political killings task team (PKTT).

Cachalia testified at the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee inquiry into alleged corruption and political interference in the criminal justice system on Wednesday.

He said that since his appointment, he has held meetings with National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to discuss the PKTT.

“In that meeting, we discussed the PKTT and what happened to the dockets. I was concerned about this matter because it was in the public domain. I was trying to understand whether the PKTT had been disbanded or not, and if it had been disbanded, what happened to the dockets. Having listened to his [Masemola] evidence, I do have a better understanding in that respect.”

PKTT reestablishment

Cachalia said he requested a report from Masemola on the work of the PKTT and the dockets. In the report, Masemola recommended the reestablishment of the PKTT and its nationalisation. Cachalia is involved in discussions with Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi on this, following the murder of two councillors.

“I also have a growing concern about the assassination of whistleblowers, so my perspective was: I couldn’t understand the reasons for the disbandment of the PKTT,” said Cachalia.

ALSO READ: Mathale says Mchunu’s PKTT disbandment letter ‘problematic’, saw it on social media

“It seemed to me that the problem of political killings was an ongoing one and that in the run-up to the local government election, it is likely to deepen, become even worse.

“The problem is a deeper one now, and we certainly need, on a national basis, to respond to this problem of the involvement of the cartels’ infiltration of our institutions, apparently without consequences.

“I think it’s now a national question and we can certainly learn from the good practice of the PKTT because its work was based on an integrated approach to the challenge. I was quite happy with his recommendation, contained in his report, that this team should not be dismantled at the current moment, but we do need to have a conversation, and we are having it, on how to tackle a problem that is broader and deeper than it was four or five years ago.”

‘Consultations’

Cachalia believes the main issue with the disbandment of the PKTT is the process Mchunu followed when making the decision, not the decision itself.

“I would say that to take such an important decision required sound reasoning, the reasons for a decision like that, and there could well be a situation where there are good reasons to make a decision like that as the executive authority,” he said.

Mchunu was not the police minister when the PKTT was established, and when President Cyril Ramaphosa established the inter-ministerial committee. These facts alone necessitated consultations with his colleagues before making the decision to disband the PKTT, added Cachalia.

ALSO READ: ‘I thought it was fake news’: KZN DPP says she heard about PKTT disbandment on social media

“There ought to have been consultations with colleagues in the Cabinet, whose judgment about the disbandment of such a team would have been essential to arrive at that decision.

“There ought to have been proper consultation. A situation like this highlights the importance of mutual respect and consultation between the two heads of any institution. If that relationship breaks down, the functioning of that institution is compromised.”

‘I agree with Cele’

Masemola previously testified that the minister offered no reasons in his directive for the disbandment of the PKTT.

During his testimony, Mchunu listed budgetary constraints as one of the reasons for the disbandment. He did admit that he did not consult anyone before making the decision to disband; however, this does not mean he broke any rules.

ALSO READ: Masemola says Mchunu’s anger over ‘police doing a good job’ was ‘quite strange’

Cachalia, however, said the decision to disband may well have been the wrong one due to the process followed.

“On this matter, former police minister Bheki Cele was correct to the extent that he was emphasising the fact that this decision was a political decision.

“From my point of view, the main issue is not that the minister took the view that the PKTT should be disbanded, it’s the process that was followed – how did he arrive at that decision? Who did he consult with? Were the reasons sound? How the decision was communicated is the main question.

“In the circumstances, it could well be that the decision was a wrong one because of the way it was arrived at and the way it was communicated, which is why we sit here today.

“Good decisions are best when they’re made through a proper process and with proper reasoning. We should be able to scrutinise the decisions. The fact that you are an elected official doesn’t exonerate you from political responsibility for the way you make decisions.”

READ NEXT: Madlanga commission: Did Masemola’s testimony sink Mchunu?