In a significant testimony before the Madlanga commission, Crime Intelligence head Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo has directly refuted claims of ministerial interference in the work of KwaZulu-Natal’s Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), specifically distancing former police minister Bheki Cele from any operational instructions.
Lt-Gen Khumalo, who served as the PKTT’s project coordinator and later its leader from 2018, stated unequivocally that Cele never issued directives to the team.
“There were no instructions that would come from the minister as chair of the interministerial committee,” Khumalo testified. He clarified that the minister’s role was limited to receiving “progress reports from the PKTT continuously.”
This testimony stands in stark contrast to allegations made by KZN police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, whose claims of high-level meddling prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to establish the commission. Mkhwanazi has accused current and former senior SAPS officials, including Minister Cele, of interfering in PKTT cases, ultimately leading to the team’s disbandment.
The inquiry has unveiled a complex web of alleged personal and professional rivalries within the top echelons of the police force. In prior testimony, Mkhwanazi painted a picture of Cele attempting to orchestrate a peculiar personnel move, allegedly pressuring him to force Khumalo out of the SAPS.
“Cele was asking me to approach Khumalo to resign from SAPS and go work with him in Gauteng for five years,” Mkhwanazi claimed, expressing his confusion at the sudden change of heart. “When Cele was in SAPS, he didn’t like Khumalo… So why now, suddenly, this trust?”
Khumalo’s current testimony, which firmly separates the minister from operational command, adds a new layer to the unfolding investigation as the commission continues its work to untangle allegations of criminality and corruption within the justice system.
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