The decision to disband the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team by now suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu was taken without a review of its work, deputy national commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya conceded at the Madlanga commission on Thursday.
Mchunu’s decision came two months after a meeting with police management in which he proposed a “review of certain capabilities” of task teams duplicating existing capabilities, including the political killings team.
Sibiya, during cross-examination at the commission, testified that the review of the task team’s work was not conducted before Mchunu, on December 31 2024, sent an instruction for “immediate disbandment” of the team, citing it no longer added value to policing.
“There was no review,” Sibiya said.
The disbandment of the task team is a crucial point in the commission’s inquiry into allegations of criminal infiltration in the justice cluster.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged the disbandment of the team was abrupt and without consultation and was done to protect criminal syndicates with links to upper echelons of the police and politicians.
Mkhwanazi alleged Mchunu’s decision was made under the influence of others and was not based on the team’s performance.
In his evidence-in-chief, Sibiya testified he was “surprised” when his boss, Gen Fannie Masemola, testified about being “surprised” by the instruction of disbanding the team.
Sibiya said this was because there were prior discussions on the disbandment of task teams because millions were spent on the teams, which negatively affected provincial investigations’ capacity.
The top cop, however, struggled to provide substantial evidence to the commission to support his claim that there were prior talks about the disbandment of task teams before the New Year’s Eve instruction from Mchunu.
Sibiya said Masemola was part of a meeting with Mchunu on November 1 2024 in which the lifespan of the task team was discussed.
I categorically deny that I have ever received, solicited or accepted any form of gratification, inducement, benefit or kickback from Matlala or any other person.
— Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya
When quizzed by evidence leader advocate Adila Hassim on the meeting, Sibiya conceded the minutes of the meeting did not reflect a decision to close the KwaZulu-Natal task team.
The minutes reflect a proposed review to assess the impact of the task team’s work.
Sibiya also could not produce an email between himself and Masemola revealing discussions of possible disbandment before December 31 2024.
Sibiya also relied on a research report on task teams in 2024 that proposed the lifespan of unmonitored “rampant task teams” should be considered and provincial investigating units should be closed. The report was only adopted in 2025.
Sibiya initially contended the PKTT fell under the scope of unmonitored task teams because some of the team’s 118 dockets submitted to the SAPS head office in March 2025 had been untouched for years — some since 2019.
He, however, agreed the research recommendations did not directly propose the closure of the PKTT.
Sibiya also said that as the KwaZulu-Natal task team fell under the provincial investigating units, the recommendation applied to it.
Commission chair and retired judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga put it to him that, as the research distinguished between the task teams and the provincial investigating unit, the commission could not accept the recommendation to close the units also applied to the task teams.
After Madlanga had pressed him, Sibiya conceded that the recommendation for closure of units did not apply to task teams.
In March 2024, months before Sibiya carried out the instruction to disband the team, he approved a multimillion-rand budget for the political killings task team because they were “doing a good job”.
Sibiya also has denied receiving kickbacks from attempted murder accused Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala.
The top officer in charge of the country’s police service for crime detection faces allegations of receiving kickbacks from Matlala in return for protection from prosecution and being linked to criminal syndicates.
“I categorically deny that I have ever received, solicited or accepted any form of gratification, inducement, benefit or kickback from Matlala or any other person,” Sibiya said.
“Any suggestion to the contrary is false, unfounded and devoid of any factual basis. It is untrue.”
Witnesses before the commission testified that Sibiya had a close relationship with Matlala and received impalas, cash and about R2m from him to buy a property. Sibiya also allegedly invited Matlala to a thanksgiving event at his home in September 2024.
Matlala’s Medicare24 won a R360m tender with the SAPS.
Sibiya further denied a link to a white BMW car captured by a CCTV camera at the house of murder accused Katiso Molefe collecting a white bag in 2024. Crime intelligence Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo testified the car was assigned to Sibiya’s office.
Sibiya told the commission the car was only assigned to his office in 2025, before it was seen at Molefe’s house.
Molefe and Matlala were linked to a “big five” cartel allegedly involved in drug trafficking, extortion, cross-border vehicle hijacking, cross-border vehicle theft and tender fraud.
He continues with his testimony on Friday.
Business Day
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