Cachalia and Masemola clash over KZN Task Team

Acting Police Minister, Firoz Cachalia, and National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, are clashing over the revival of the KwaZulu-Natal Police Killings Task Team’s investigation. 

Cachalia in a statement issued on Friday slammed Masemola’s announcement that 121 dockets would soon be returned to the task team.

The now-suspended Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu, disbanded the team, which was formed in 2019 to investigate and execute arrests in political killings as part of implementing the Moerane Commission’s recommendations.

Cachalia indicated that Masemola revived the team’s investigation without consulting him, and that he had kept him in the dark about the status of the team. 

In the statement, Cachalia is quoted as expressing concern about Masemola announcing the continuation of the team’s investigations instead of waiting for the Constitutional Court’s Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga Judicial Commission of Inquiry to first investigate KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s political interference allegation.

The statement read: “It is a concern, therefore, that steps are being taken in relation to this matter before the commission has had a chance to investigate the issues surrounding the task team. I have requested the National Commissioner to submit his report without further delay,” read the statement.

The statement further stated that soon after being appointed as acting minister by President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 13, Cachalia requested Masemola to furnish him with a detailed report on the task team.   

“A report which is yet to be submitted,” the statement read. 

In July, Mkhwanazi alleged that there was political interference in the work of the task team and also accused Mchunu of having a relationship with drug dealers who were the target of the team in Gauteng. 

This led to Ramaphosa suspending Mchunu and appointing the commission, which is expected to begin its work on Monday after a delay due to logistical problems.

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