The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which is probing allegations of deep-seated political interference within South Africa’s criminal justice system, is set to hear from a fourth witness following a day of damning testimony.
On Thursday, the commission received a critical submission from the South African Police Service (SAPS) Legal Services division, which stated that the controversial decision to disband the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) was unlawful.
This finding strikes at the heart of the commission’s mandate. The specialized task team was responsible for investigating a string of high-profile political assassinations that had plagued the province for years. Its sudden disbandment raised serious questions about possible deliberate obstruction of justice.
The testimony from SAPS’s own legal experts provides the first official, legal corroboration of the claims made by former task team investigators. It suggests that the procedure followed to shut down the unit did not comply with the law, lending significant weight to allegations of improper political influence.
As the inquiry continues, the upcoming testimony from the fourth witness is expected to build on this foundation, potentially revealing further details about the motives behind the task team’s dissolution and the broader pattern of alleged interference. The commission continues to sit in Pretoria.
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