Former Police Minister Bheki Cele has described the dissolution of the Political Killings Task Team as a significant blow to the fight against politically motivated crimes in South Africa.
Speaking before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating alleged links between senior police officials and criminal syndicates, Cele said he only learned of the task team’s disbandment through a letter from suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
Cele also voiced his dismay over KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s remarks referring to suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya as a “criminal.”
“I felt it had to be investigated further to find the facts on the matter,” Cele told the committee. “But the Minister cannot go and establish or disestablish. We still have to go through the National Commissioner for establishment and disestablishment. By the way, this one is part of it because it was announced by the President.”
He added that certain covert operations and strategic policing decisions fall outside the direct control of the Minister of Police, raising questions about accountability and oversight within the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The inquiry continues as Parliament seeks clarity on the controversial disbandment and its implications for the country’s political stability and law enforcement.
VOC News
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