Dumisani Khumalo: Organized Crime Cartel Behind Attempt to Disband Political Killings Task Team
Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo, Police Divisional Commissioner of Crime Intelligence, testified before the Madlanga Commission that an organized crime cartel influenced the attempt to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT). Khumalo, project leader of the PKTT since 2018, stated that former police minister Bheki Cele never issued directives to the task team.
Khumalo's Testimony on the PKTT
Khumalo, identified by National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as the individual best suited to explain the inner workings of the PKTT, said he believed the targeting of the PKTT was misdirected. He added that his investigations revealed an infiltration of the SA Police Service (Saps) by those seeking to manipulate the police force.
"It is my view that the attempt to disband the PKTT was due to the influence of a particular organised crime cartel over the ministry of police and the Saps, who mistakenly thought that the PKTT was investigating the same cartel," said Khumalo.
Khumalo stressed the importance of interventions within the Saps due to internal threats facing the department.
Establishment and Operation of the PKTT
Khumalo corroborated the testimonies of Major-General Margaretha van Rooyen, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, and Fannie Masemola, stating that the operational matters of the PKTT fall under the national commissioner’s jurisdiction. He clarified that the PKTT was administratively established by the national police commissioner and not through legislation or regulation. Resources, including financial support, were assigned by the national commissioner.
"The PKTT was established and constituted administratively by the national police commissioner. It was not created through any legislation or regulation, and it is still one of the task teams that will be established by the national commissioner from time to time," Khumalo stated.
Cele's Involvement and Mchunu's Directive
Khumalo informed the commission that the PKTT was established in 2018, during Bheki Cele’s tenure as Minister of Police. He asserted that Cele never issued directives to the PKTT and only received progress reports. This contrasts with Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s directive on December 31, 2024, to disband the PKTT. Mkhwanazi, Masemola, and Van Rooyen testified that Mchunu's directive encroached on the national police commissioner's mandate.
