Mkhwanazi Exposes Coordinated Campaign to Destroy Political Killings Task Team

Lieutenant General's explosive testimony reveals alleged syndicate within criminal justice system

Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi delivered damning testimony to the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday, painting a picture of systematic sabotage that led to the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT). His evidence suggests an elaborate network of actors worked in concert to ensure the specialized unit would never succeed in making key arrests.

Taking the stand for the second day, Mkhwanazi began naming names, focusing his attention on how parliamentary oversight was allegedly weaponized against the task team. At the center of his testimony was Parliamentarian Fadiel Adams, whose actions Mkhwanazi described as part of a coordinated effort to frustrate the PKTT's work.

The Adams Connection

According to Mkhwanazi's testimony, Adams obtained classified crime intelligence information despite having no legitimate right to it. As someone not serving on the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence, Adams should never have had access to such sensitive material in the first place.

But having the information was only the beginning. Mkhwanazi told the commission that Adams then bypassed established parliamentary procedures entirely. Instead of taking the classified documents to the proper oversight committee as required by the National Intelligence Act, Adams chose a different path - one that would prove far more damaging to the PKTT.

The Lieutenant General's evidence revealed a telling sequence of events: Adams filed complaints at Cape Town Police Station, then traveled to Gauteng just two days later to file an identical complaint at Orlando Police Station. The very next day, he lodged a complaint claiming his investigation was being intercepted.

A Pattern Emerges

Mkhwanazi's testimony suggested this wasn't the work of a concerned parliamentarian acting alone. The precision timing, the identical complaints across provinces, and the immediate follow-up allegations pointed to something more orchestrated. His evidence indicated that Adams may have been acting in coordination with external forces, including potentially the office of the now-suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.

The Lieutenant General painted Adams' actions as a deliberate abuse of classified information, designed not to serve the public interest, but to advance a particular agenda - the destruction of the PKTT's capacity to operate in the Western Cape and Gauteng.

Beyond One Man's Actions

But Mkhwanazi's testimony went deeper than Adams' individual conduct. He described an "organized crime syndicate" operating within the criminal justice system itself, with various role players working to ensure the PKTT could not fulfill its mandate of investigating political killings.

The commission heard how these efforts weren't random acts of interference, but part of a calculated campaign. Each action, each complaint, each bureaucratic obstacle was designed to prevent the task team from making arrests that could expose the broader network.

Minister's Office Implicated

Perhaps most explosively, Mkhwanazi's evidence directly implicated the office of suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu in this alleged conspiracy. His testimony suggested coordination between parliamentarians like Adams and the ministerial office, working together to ensure the PKTT's work would be frustrated at every turn.

The Lieutenant General described how legitimate parliamentary oversight was perverted into a tool for sabotage, with classified information being weaponized to create the appearance of misconduct where none existed.

READ: Masemola Accuses Police Minister Mchunu of Overstepping in Task Team Disbandment

The Bigger Picture

Mkhwanazi's testimony revealed the sophistication of the alleged campaign against the PKTT. Rather than crude interference, this was presented as legitimate oversight and proper procedure. Complaints were filed through official channels, parliamentary processes were invoked, and ministerial intervention was requested - all creating a veneer of legitimacy while systematically dismantling the task team's capacity to function.

The commission heard how this alleged syndicate understood the system well enough to manipulate it from within, using the very mechanisms designed to ensure accountability as weapons to prevent accountability.

What's at Stake

The PKTT was established to investigate political killings that had plagued South Africa, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal but extending to other provinces. Mkhwanazi's testimony suggests that powerful interests were threatened enough by the task team's potential discoveries to mount this elaborate campaign of sabotage.

His evidence points to a criminal justice system compromised from within, where those tasked with upholding the law allegedly worked to protect those who break it. The implications extend far beyond the fate of one task team - they speak to the very integrity of South Africa's ability to investigate and prosecute serious crimes.

READ: General Mkhwanazi Accuses Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of Political Interference |

The Road Ahead

Adams has been designated an implicated person by the commission and will have the opportunity to respond to these serious allegations. The commission still has approximately 40 pages of Mkhwanazi's affidavit to work through, with more explosive revelations expected.

As the Lieutenant General's testimony continues, the Madlanga Commission is piecing together what appears to be one of the most significant cases of alleged institutional capture in post-apartheid South Africa. The question is no longer just what happened to the PKTT, but how deep this alleged syndicate's influence extends into the country's criminal justice system.