As the national spotlight intensifies on the unraveling drama within South Africa’s police leadership, another layer of controversy has emerged—this time over who actually gave the order to shut down the Political Killings Task Team.
National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has come forward denying that he signed any letter authorizing the disbandment of the elite unit, which had been investigating politically sensitive murders and alleged syndicate ties involving powerful figures. His statement contradicts earlier claims by Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, who said Masemola acted on instructions from Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and formalized it through official correspondence.
But General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, maintains that the task team was dismantled under direct influence from Mchunu himself. Mkhwanazi has accused both Mchunu and Sibiya of interfering in investigations, suggesting that the closure was not just bureaucratic but strategic—intended to protect high-profile individuals from arrest.
The absence of a signed letter from Masemola now casts serious doubt over the legitimacy and transparency of the task team’s shutdown. Was this a coordinated maneuver cloaked in confusion, or a rogue political move operating in the shadows of law enforcement?
As senior officials trade conflicting statements, the public is left questioning not just the fate of 121 case dockets—some allegedly containing arrest orders—but the integrity of a police system that appears to be at war with itself.
