CAPE TOWN - Former Police Minister Bheki Cele says he was ‘taken aback’ by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s allegations of criminality and political interference in the criminal justice system.
Cele is the fifth witness to testify before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating these allegations. He was preceded by Mkhwanazi, National Police Commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola, Deputy National Police Commissioner for Crime Detection Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya and suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
Cele said he was at the gym on July 6 when he heard Mkhwanazi was going to brief the media and immediately went home to watch.
“I knew some of the things he said,” Cele said, emphasising that Mkhwanazi is not the first person to make such allegations about the criminal justice system.
“Mkhwanazi said these things much later. What Mkhwanazi said was not the first time, hence the portion I didn’t know was the group of officers that had been sent to assist with the investigations in Gauteng, which is not a problem because, as a minister, there are operations you know and those you don’t know.”
Cele said he was against Mchunu’s directive to disband the PKTT.
“In my view, the PKTT was established by the IMC (interministerial committee) under the leadership of the president, therefore only the presidency could disestablish it.”
He said Mchunu should have consulted with the IMC before deciding to disband the task team. “Procedurally, I don’t agree with it. The way it came through should have been reversed the same way.
“When I saw the letter, I said this can’t be.” In his testimony, Mchunu said one of his reasons for disbanding the task team was due to budget constraints. However, Cele said there are other operations within the SAPS, such as Operation Lockdown and Operation Vala Umgodi, where a lot of money is spent, highlighting that the PKTT was not the only operation where substantial funds were allocated.
He was concerned that the investigation was focusing too much on alleged corruption in policing.
“Sometimes I get worried that this process concentrates on the police, when the allegations are widespread across the justice system. The biggest crime in South Africa is planned in prisons; that’s where the real planning takes place.
“There are police who have been arrested, which confirms that there are corrupt police officers. Prosecutors, too,” he added.
Mkhwanazi, during an explosive media briefing on July 6, accused senior law enforcement officials, including Mchunu, of interfering in police investigations. The alleged meddling led to the minister issuing a directive on December 31 to disband the political killings task team (PKTT).
Mkhwanazi alleged that Mchunu and other senior law enforcement officials were linked to a network of corrupt and criminal syndicates, using their influence to obstruct justice, saying criminal syndicates had infiltrated law enforcement agencies.
Cele said he was against Mchunu’s directive to disband the PKTT. (Pic: IOL)