In a stunning admission at a parliamentary inquiry, Deputy Police Minister Cassel Mathale revealed he was completely blindsided by the disbanding of a critical crime-fighting unit, learning about it from social media and initially dismissing the news as “fake.”
The revelation came during a hearing into allegations of a drug cartel’s infiltration of law enforcement. Mathale testified that his boss, then-Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, did not inform him before disbanding the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) on New Year’s Eve 2024.
Even more damning was Mathale’s confession that, a full year into his job, he and his fellow deputy minister had been given no official responsibilities or delegated functions. This admission prompted sharp rebukes from MPs, with the DA’s Glynnis Breytenbach accusing him of “sliding like a hot knife through butter” and knowing nothing.
MPs questioned the point of having deputy ministers who, by their own account, have been left idle for 12 months while drawing a government salary. Mathale defended his position, stating he was “the happiest to have responsibilities” but blamed the delay on the minister’s “inexperience” and the ongoing policing crisis.
The testimony paints a picture of a dysfunctional police ministry, marked by a lack of communication, unclear chains of command, and high-ranking officials seemingly unaware of major decisions affecting national security.
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