Mkhwanazi Stands Firm: 'Mchunu Was Captured' Amid PKTT Scandal

Appearing before Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee on national security concerns, KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi insisted Mchunu was new to the police organisation and fell victim to "bad influences".

By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief, The Azanian

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KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi reiterated his suspicion that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu was "captured" and manipulated into writing a letter to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).

Appearing before Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee on national security concerns, Mkhwanazi insisted Mchunu was new to the police organisation and fell victim to "bad influences".

Mchunu, who has been placed on special leave, previously told MPs he wrote the letter himself without external influence. Mkhwanazi disagreed. "Minister Mchunu was new in the organisation. I say he was captured to write that letter. I still believe, I am still convinced Minister Mchunu was made to do what he did," Mkhwanazi stated.

The controversy surrounds the removal of PKTT dockets from KwaZulu-Natal to Pretoria headquarters, authorised by a letter allegedly penned by suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya. Mkhwanazi suspects Lieutenant-General Hilda Senthumule, Divisional Commissioner for Detectives and Forensic Services, may have written the letter on Sibiya's behalf.

Adding to the intrigue, Mkhwanazi revealed he has operated without a security clearance certificate for almost 10 years after it expired in 2018. He blamed delays on crime intelligence and an IPID officer who allegedly implicated him in a false case.

The Ad Hoc Committee continues to probe national security concerns amid escalating tensions within police ranks.