Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating corruption in the criminal justice system has sent President Cyril Ramaphosa questions regarding his knowledge and involvement in the controversial disbanding of a task team on political killings.
Ramaphosa established the team in 2018 to investigate politically related murders but it was disbanded in December 2024 by now suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
MPs in the committee, which was set up after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s explosive allegations last July of political motives in the disbandment, have sent Ramaphosa questions about his role.
These included four queries from legal counsel, 102 from the Economic Freedom Fighters, nine from the uMkhonto weSizwe party, 14 from the ANC and seven from the Democratic Alliance. The committee seeks to find out whether Ramaphosa gave instructions to disband the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) which oversaw the political killings task team.
Mchunu has previously told the ad hoc committee that he did not consult Ramaphosa when issuing the disbandment letter. He defended his instruction, saying he was implementing a police research study which recommended the disbandment and consolidation of violent crime investigations into the murder and robbery unit.
“If the IMC was disbanded, on what date was this done and on whose authority? Did the IMC continue into the 7th administration or did it lapse at the end of the 6th administration?” reads one of the questions.
“If continued, why were no new appointment letters issued to ministers in the 7th administration as the minister of police, Senzo Mchunu claimed he never received any letter?”
Mchunu has said that the Inter-ministerial committee was not established during the 7th administration which came into being after the May 2024 general elections.
In his testimony at the ad hoc committee Mkhwanazi said Ramaphosa established the inter-ministerial committee in 2018, comprising the ministers of police, state security agency, defence, as well as justice and correctional service.
He accused Mchunu of making a unilateral decision to disband the task team without consultation and approval from the inter-ministerial committee. Members of parliament have asked Ramaphosa whether the absence of the committee relegated authority over the task team to Mchunu.
“Does the President accept that the absence of appointment letters may have caused confusion?” another question reads.
“What authority, if any, did individual IMC members have over the operational existence or consultation of the PKTT?”
MPs also want to know whether Ramaphosa approved the continued existence of the task team.
Mchunu testified that the task team had outlived its function, adding that political killings happened pre-1994. Mkhwanazi and crime intelligence boss Dumisani Khumalo accused Mchunu of disbanding the task team at the behest of criminal cartels.
Ramaphosa is expected to respond to the MPs questions regarding oversight and reporting on the PKTT before the conclusion of the ad hoc committee’s inquiry in March.
The president is expected to respond to the MPs’ questions regarding oversight and reporting on a task team on political killings before conclusion of the committee’s inquiry in March
