In a stunning revelation that exposes a deep rift at the top of the South African Police Service (SAPS), National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has openly defied a direct order from his political principal, suspended Minister Senzo Mchunu, to disband the specialized Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
The clash unfolded during a parliamentary ad hoc committee hearing, where Masemola testified that he disapproved of Mchunu’s December 31 directive to “immediately” disband the unit. He confirmed the elite team remains fully operational.
Mchunu “Taken Aback” by Commissioner’s Defiance
The suspended minister, testifying later, expressed shock at Masemola’s stance. Mchunu claimed he was “taken aback” by the Commissioner’s testimony, insisting he believed they had an agreement to wind down the PKTT.
“I was taken aback when the national commissioner spoke like that because it meant that, on one hand, he agreed, and on the other, he disagreed,” Mchunu told the committee.
This claim of a mutual understanding was directly contradicted by Masemola’s own testimony, in which he stated he had only ever proposed a “phased winding down” of the unit, not its immediate dissolution.
A Minister’s Hands Tied by “Special Leave”
When pressed by MPs on what action he would take against Masemola for insubordination, Mchunu revealed his powerless position, stating he could not answer as he was on special leave.
“If I had it my way, I wouldn’t be on leave. I would be proceeding with the work of the SAPS and making people feel safer,” Mchunu said, a statement that highlighted his diminished authority.
The public disagreement lays bare a significant crisis of command within the SAPS, raising critical questions about who is truly in control of the police and the fate of a unit tasked with investigating some of the country’s most sensitive crimes.
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