Mchunu's decision to dissolve the PKTT was influenced by 'outside influences,' says Mncwango of the IFP
The IFP’s Mangaqa Albert Mncwango said that suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu was evasive in answering questions on Tuesday.
Image: File
The way suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu responded to questions on Tuesday left Albert Mncwango of the IFP dissatisfied, calling him evasive.
Evidence leader Advocate Norman Arendse SC concluded his interrogation at Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee looking into allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Arendse started by examining the minister’s relationship with alleged mastermind and tender kingpin Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala and controversial North West businessman, Oupa Brown Mogotsi.
Matlala, believed to be connected to fraudulent transactions in Tembisa Hospital, was arrested in 2025 on unrelated charges. He was arrested in April for allegedly orchestrating the 2023 attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, actress Tebogo Thobejane. He is currently in custody after being denied bail.
Mogotsi has been implicated in the alleged unlawful interference at the South African Police Service (SAPS). Mogotsi has been a central figure during the Madlanga Commission’s early testimony, with multiple witnesses pointing to his proximity to senior SAPS officials and his alleged role in corrupting the integrity of law enforcement.
Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu appeared for a third day in front of the Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee which is investigating allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Image: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers
Mchunu on Tuesday confirmed knowing Mogotsi as a comrade, but denied knowing or ever meeting the attempted murder accused, Matlala.
The minister said he had known Mogotsi since 2017.
“I have never asked him if he is married or not. I have never gone to his home. I have never watched soccer with him, and I have never inquired about his personal life because we just occasionally talk about this and that,” Mchunu said.
Mncwango said: “I am not happy with the manner in which he is responding to questions because for me, he’s being very evasive, and he’s very economical with the truth in many respects, but as we progress, he’s actually going to realise that he’s actually misleading, not only us, but the nation as well."
Mncwango said he wanted to go back to the issue of the constitutionality of Mchunu's decision to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), as he has not been convinced that Mchunu was acting within the confines of his constitutional authority.
“I am not convinced that the reasons he advises in the letter on the 31st of December 2024, which he says are the reasons that prompted him to disband the PKTT, are genuine. I agree with Mkhwanazi that some outside influence actually played a role, and I am going to prove that, because it is there in the documents.
“Obviously, the role of Mogotsi is very intriguing, because the minister is being very evasive in putting our anxiety to rest, insofar as his relationship with Mogotsi,” Mncwango said.
“Immediately after the minister had issued the letter, Mogotsi knew about the imminent dissolution of the PKTT. How did he know that?
“Undoubtedly, a picture is emerging and becoming clear. It is becoming very clear that we have our hands full here. There is a lot more than meets the eye,” Mncwango said.
“As we progress meeting and cross-examining the other witnesses that are in the line-up, I’m sure that the picture is going to become even clearer for the people out there... that the rot has gone so, so deep in this country.”