Phahlane is expected to return to Parliament to continue his testimony on a date yet to be determined.
Former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane says political interference within the South African Police Service (Saps) has always existed, intensifying significantly after the ANC’s 2007 conference.
Phahlane appeared before Parliament’s ad hoc committee probing criminality, political interference and corruption within the justice system on Wednesday.
Ex-national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane’s career
Phahlane served as acting national police commissioner from October 2015 until June 2017, when he was asked to step aside.
He was later arrested and charged with fraud and corruption in February 2018.
His employment with the police formally ended in July 2020.
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Phahlane’s subsequent legal challenge to his sacking was unsuccessful, with the Labour Court rejecting his unfair dismissal claim in October 2023.
In September 2025, the former national commissioner approached the Labour Appeal Court, seeking reinstatement.
The appeal was heard on 16 December.
Claims of political interference
During his testimony, Phahlane said political interference within the police worsened following the ANC’s 2007 elective conference in Polokwane, Limpopo, where former president Jacob Zuma was elected party leader.
“We must not shy away. Political interference has been prevalent in the South African Police Service.
“It became more prevalent following the 2007 Polokwane conference, where many of these things that lead to where you are taking me happened. From there on, we started seeing practices that were not the norm.
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“I’m the last person to be appointed following a submission to Cabinet. Everyone else that was appointed after my time, that process did not follow the Cabinet process,” he told the committee.
Phahlane also told the committee that he was the target of an elaborate plot to remove him from office.
He accused former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) head Robert McBride and forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan of orchestrating the campaign.
WATCH: The ad hoc committee proceedings
He claimed that the attacks directed at him and their sustained campaign through the media, both print and electronic, bear testimony to their control of individual journalists whom they weaponised against him.
McBride and O’Sullivan have previously denied allegations of a vendetta, insisting their actions were motivated by the public interest and a commitment to rooting out corruption.
Ad hoc committee witnesses
Phahlane is expected to return to Parliament to continue his testimony on a date yet to be determined.
Meanwhile, the ad hoc committee has been granted a second extension by National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza.
The committee’s deadline, initially set for 31 October 2025 and later extended to 28 November, has now been pushed to 20 February.
Witnesses still expected to testify include McBride, O’Sullivan, Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi, alleged political fixer Oupa “Brown” Mogotsi, and Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo, who is currently presenting his evidence.
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