President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied approving the disbandment of the political killings task team (PKTT), stating under oath the decision was taken without his consent and fell within the operational authority of the police.
In written responses to parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations made by Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, Ramaphosa says he was informed about the move around February 1 2025 by national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola, who indicated that police minister Senzo Mchunu had instructed that the unit be disbanded.
Ramaphosa says he expressed dissatisfaction at not being consulted and subsequently met Mchunu, who confirmed issuing the instruction. He states he did not approve of the decision and expected the work of the task team to continue.
“I did not approve of this decision,” Ramaphosa says in an affidavit.
The president adds he understood from Masemola that the task team would continue operating despite the directive and that any steps taken by the commissioner would fall within his authority.
Ramaphosa states he was not informed in advance of the disbandment and only became aware of it through his engagement with the national commissioner. He confirms he did not intervene directly, maintaining that operational decisions within the SA Police Service fall outside presidential authority.
Ramaphosa says feedback received from police leadership on arrests and prosecutions had been positive, and that he was not informed of operational details, budgetary issues or complaints related to the unit
He says he conveyed his dissatisfaction to Mchunu during their meeting, particularly at not being consulted, and indicated that he expected to be kept informed of further decisions affecting the work of the unit. However, he reiterates the matter fell within the commissioner’s remit and he did not issue any instruction to reverse the decision.
The president draws a distinction between policy direction and operational control, with Ramaphosa citing constitutional provisions that assign the minister responsibility for determining national policing policy, while the national commissioner exercises control and management of the police service.
He states whether the instruction to disband the PKTT was lawful depends on the interpretation of these provisions and is a matter for determination by the judicial commission of inquiry.
On the establishment of structures to address political killings, Ramaphosa says he did not create the PKTT. Instead, he instructed the formation of an interministerial committee in May 2018 to co-ordinate government efforts in response to political killings, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal.
He says this followed engagements with ministers after the killing of ANC councillor Musawenkosi Mchunu, and that the committee was intended to ensure co-ordination across the justice and security cluster.
The president says the committee was established through an oral instruction to ministers of police, justice and correctional services, defence, and state security, and functioned as a co-ordinating body without independent operational powers.
He says individual ministers retained authority to act in terms of legislation and that the committee itself could not exercise powers beyond those assigned to its members.
Ramaphosa further states the interministerial committee was never disbanded and could only have been dissolved on his instruction, which he says was never given.
On allegations of interference, he states that he was not aware of any attempt to shut down investigations and rejects claims that the disbandment of the PKTT was intended to undermine ongoing probes
He adds that such committees generally continue across administrations unless expressly dissolved, with membership remaining tied to ministerial positions rather than individuals.
On oversight, the president says he received updates on political killings through general reporting channels, including cabinet meetings and briefings by ministers, rather than through dedicated reports on the task team.
He says ministers in the justice, crime prevention and security cluster would include updates on political killings in oral reports, both in cabinet structures and in informal engagements.
He notes that cabinet discussions in February 2023 included consideration of expanding the capacity of the PKTT, while a report on political killings requested later that year was not submitted to his office. “According to my office’s records, no such report was provided,” he states.
Ramaphosa says feedback received from police leadership on arrests and prosecutions had been positive, and that he was not informed of operational details, budgetary issues or complaints related to the unit.
He states that based on the information available to him at the time, there were no indications of dysfunction within the PKTT before its reported disbandment.
On allegations of interference, he states that he was not aware of any attempt to shut down investigations and rejects claims that the disbandment of the PKTT was intended to undermine ongoing probes.
He further states he was not aware of any instruction to halt investigations or close case dockets and that such operational matters would fall outside his direct involvement.
Ramaphosa confirms that allegations raised by Mkhwanazi are being investigated by both the ad hoc committee and a judicial commission of inquiry, which he established to provide an independent assessment of the facts and appropriate legal interpretation.
On the legality of the disbandment, he states that the question hinges on the respective powers of the minister and the national commissioner, and that he expects the commission to determine whether the directive fell within the minister’s authority.
Investigations involving senior SAPS officials
The president also addresses his knowledge of investigations involving senior SAPS officials, including those linked to crime intelligence.
He says he became aware of these investigations after the arrest of Maj-Gen Khemal Khumalo and was subsequently briefed in July and September 2025 by the National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee through his national security adviser.
He states that these developments, together with public allegations made by Mkhwanazi, informed his decision to establish the commission of inquiry and appoint an acting minister of police.
Ramaphosa says investigations into senior officials were already under way and would continue through normal law enforcement processes.
He adds that he is not involved in operational steps taken to protect the integrity of investigations and was therefore not in a position to comment on precautionary measures implemented in specific cases.
On claims of criminal infiltration within SAPS, Ramaphosa refers to findings and recommendations from the judicial commission into state capture and a high-level review panel into the State Security Agency.
He says these processes identified risks of criminal networks influencing state institutions and that government has been implementing recommendations to address these risks, including strengthening vetting processes and oversight mechanisms.
I have decided not to give a running commentary on what is said and alleged in the commission
— President Cyril Ramaphosa
He adds senior SAPS appointments are subject to vetting, lifestyle audits and oversight by multiple institutions, and that further reforms may follow based on the outcomes of ongoing investigations.
The president also addresses the decision to place Mchunu on special leave rather than suspend him, stating that ministers are political appointees not subject to ordinary labour law, and that he exercised discretion in determining an appropriate course of action.
He says special leave was intended to allow investigations to proceed while avoiding prejudicing the minister before allegations had been tested, and that he considered both the fiscal implications and the integrity of the executive in making this decision.
Ramaphosa further disputes claims that he supported the disbandment of the PKTT, stating that he neither approved the decision nor was consulted beforehand.
He says he did not publicly correct such claims to avoid interfering with ongoing proceedings before the ad hoc committee and the commission of inquiry.
“I have decided not to give a running commentary on what is said and alleged in the commission,” he states.
The president adds that conflicting versions between ministers and officials should be resolved through the committee and the commission, whose role is to establish the facts based on evidence.
The affidavit is part of the president’s written submission to the committee, which he provided instead of appearing in person, and is intended to assist the committee in completing its investigation.
In the submission, Ramaphosa also notes that politically motivated killings have been a longstanding concern, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, and that this informed his decision in 2018 to initiate a co-ordinated government response.
He states that such killings pose a threat to democratic processes, including the freedom of association and electoral participation, and require sustained co-ordination across the security cluster.
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