Suspended Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu, conceded that he disbanded the Political Key Task Team (PKTT) based on unverified social media posts by alleged whistleblower Patricia Mashale, Mary de Haas and Fadiel Adams, complaints he never tested and from people he never met.
Under sharp questioning from evidence leader Adv. Mahlape Sello, Mchunu acknowledged that he relied heavily on Facebook posts by Mashale, a letter from de Haas, and complaints by Sarah Burger, without engaging a single one of them before shutting down the unit on December 31, 2024.
Sello began by pressing him on his reliance on Mashale’s online posts.
“Without engaging necessarily with the content of Miss Mashale’s complaint… I see that you rely on what she published on Facebook,” Sello said.
“Did you have an opportunity to engage with her about the contents of her Facebook postings?” Sello asked.
“No,” Mchunu admitted.
“Both Miss de Haas, in fact all three of them — de Haas, Mashale, Sarah Berger — I didn’t meet any one of them. I took what I was reading.”
Mashale has since locked her X account
When asked whether he tested the veracity of Mashale’s claims, Mchunu offered only: “Not necessarily,” referencing a single instance involving alleged camps in Mpumalanga.
He said that SAPS and “other security units” later confirmed the existence of camps, but conceded that he never informed Mashale he was verifying the claim.
Sello pressed further: “So it is on that basis that you decided the claims she makes on Facebook about SAPS no longer require verification — you accept them at face value? Is that your position?”
Mchunu attempted to clarify, saying he “didn’t speak to her” and was advised not to engage her directly.
“I’m not relying on this [Mashale’s allegations]. I’m just indicating it as in the environment,” he said, trailing off mid-sentence.
The minister also confirmed he acted without consulting police management before dissolving the PKTT.
On Thursday, Mchunu presented a confidential list of eight SAPS members whom he claims complained about the PKTT — a list not previously disclosed.
He said those unnamed complainants, together with the unverified public allegations, formed the basis of his decision.
Adding to the pressure, Adams, the leader of the National Coloured Congress (NCC) also complained to Mchunu, though the minister did not clarify how these influenced his decision.
The commission also established that the posts by Mashale were not about the PKTT.
Meanwhile, Mchunu retracted that the complaints from Mashale and Adam’s were not related to the PKTT.
Politics
