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By True World Chronicle Staff Writer
A Cold Morning, A Letter, A Whisper
Pretoria, 2 January 2025. A crisp summer dawn—unsettling in its stillness. Birdsong in the jacarandas, but under that calm, a storm was brewing inside the corridors of power.
In his office at KwaZulu-Natal Police Headquarters, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi sat alone, staring at his phone. A notification pinged. From a friend. Civilians rarely carry letters like this, signed decisively. This one did. It was a letter addressed to National Commissioner Fannie Masemola, dated 31 December 2024 and signed by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
Its content was simple. Damning. Mchunu ordered that the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) be “disestablished immediately.” His reasoning: the team was “no longer required” and “adding no value to policing in South Africa.”
No formal briefing. No warning. No discussion. Just that: “disbanded immediately.”
Mkhwanazi’s eyes caught the date again. “Final and closing report must be submitted to the minister by late January 2025.”
How many lives, cases, investigations, did that letter gamble with?
Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner, veteran of many investigations, man who dared raise the alarm. Humble in manner, fierce in resolve. He has spent years seeing political killings, violent crime, and corruption intersect.
Senzo Mchunu, the then Police Minister, charged with policy oversight, but whose role would be laid bare in testimony as extending into operational decisions—if allegations stand.
Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection (later suspended), who allegedly directed that “121 case dockets under investigation” be removed from the PKTT.
Armand Swart, a structural engineer in Vereeniging, murdered in April 2024. His death becomes a fulcrum — a reflection of deeper syndicates, state corruption, and weak protection for whistleblowers.
Whistleblowers, investigators, prosecutors, whose names echo in courtrooms, letters, and emails, fearing for their lives, worried for careers, haunted by threats.
And over all, the Madlanga Commission, chaired by retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga—Australia’s kind of judicial inquiry broadcaster, probe into criminality, political interference, and corruption in the justice system beginning 17 September 2025. (Wikipedia)
The First Day of the Commission: The Testimony
17 September 2025. In Tshwane, at the Bridgette Mabandla Justice College, the Madlanga Commission opens its public hearings. The atmosphere is taut. Cameras click. Reporters, civil society, and families of victims gather in the gallery.
Mkhwanazi is first to testify. He speaks calmly but with urgency. He testifies that he did not receive any briefing from Mchunu about the work or performance of PKTT before being blindsided. (The Mail & Guardian)
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The disbandment came “on paper” without the operational oversight he believed necessary. The letter: “irrational and irregular.” (The Mail & Guardian)
Case Docket Drama: 121 Missing Files
Mkhwanazi reveals that 121 dockets — case files involving political murders and killings — were removed from the PKTT under direction from Deputy National Commissioner Sibiya. These dockets were critical to ongoing investigations. (News24)
In late August 2025, the dockets were returned to PKTT. Some arrests followed. But many families of victims said they had been left in the dark during the period of removal. (News24)
The Swart Murder: Engineer, Whistleblows & Corruption
Engineered corruption in Transnet contracts, it is alleged. In April 2024, Armand Swart was shot dead outside his workplace. Three suspects were arrested: Michael Pule Tau (a police officer), Musa Kekana, and Floyd Mabusela. (IOL)
Forensic analysis linked the firearm in Swart’s case to multiple other murders. The case touched on tender irregularities in Transnet, whistleblowing via its hotline about multimillion-rand corruption. (Daily Sun)
After Swart’s death, investigators faced threats. Some were followed. Some received verbal and physical intimidation. (The Citizen)
One of the three suspects, Tau, was granted bail — R10,000 — on health grounds. Investigators say that bail should have been opposed. They feared political cover. (IOL)
The WhatsApp Revelation & The Question of Influence
Mkhwanazi’s account of being informed via a WhatsApp message from a private individual rather than through official channels was a moment of silent gathering storm. (The Citizen)
He said: “I learnt through a WhatsApp message with a copy of the letter that was sent by a friend … I had not received any communication from anyone with regard to the disestablishment of the team.” (The Citizen)
The minister’s directive, dated 31 December 2024, came in a letter addressed to Masemola, but circulated informally and unexpectedly. Operational functions were being affected. The letter also instructed that filing of crime intelligence posts be suspended. (The Citizen)
Mkhwanazi believes “someone influenced the minister to do this.” Not necessarily corruption in the public eye, but behind-the-scenes pressure. The contours of “influence” remain murky. Family ties? Political pressure? Syndicate leverage? All possible. (The Mail & Guardian)
Consequences: What Was Lost, What Was Threatened
Operational Disruption and Loss of Trust
The PKTT, formed in 2018 after recommendations from the Moerane Commission into political violence in KwaZulu-Natal, was created explicitly to investigate political assassinations — councillors, office bearers, traditional leaders. Its creation was interministerial, meaning inputs from Police, Defence, Justice, and State Security. (The Mail & Guardian)
To disband it haphazardly threatens not just cases, but victims’ families, communities waiting for justice, and the trust in law enforcement. When you remove dockets or silence intelligence, it sends a message that some lives matter less.
Whistleblowers at Risk
The Swart case was tied to whistleblowing—someone inside Transnet raised alarm. That person would become part of the evidence chain. Yet, the fallout of that whistleblowing is not just legal but personal: threats, danger, possibly targeting. (Daily Sun)
Investigators testified they feared for their lives; some officers were followed; protection was requested, not always granted. (IOL)
Political Killings & the Grievance Gap
Political violence in KwaZulu-Natal is not new. Disputes over municipal positions, factional battles within the ANC, traditional authority contests — these have often ended in assassinations. The PKTT had been performing essential functions: coordinating intelligence, gathering evidence, linking cases across regions. (The Mail & Guardian)
Removing it, or undermining its work, allows for fragmentation of investigations, opportunity for criminal syndicates to slip through, for political interference to grow. Mkhwanazi warned of justice system collapse. (The Mail & Guardian)
Analysis: Where the Piece Fits into the Larger Puzzle
Ministerial Power vs. Operational Policing
In South Africa, the Police Minister sets policy but does not (in theory) control operational decisions. Operational policing is supposed to be the domain of police leadership, commissioners, detectives. Mchunu’s directive to disband the PKTT, suspend filling of crime intelligence posts — these reach into operational territory. According to Mkhwanazi, that’s irregular. (The Mail & Guardian)
If the policy vs operations line becomes blurred, oversight becomes impossible, and ministers can shield political allies. That’s the danger here.
State Capture, Deep State & Organised Crime
The testimony exposed how organised crime, senior police officers, and corruption may be entangled. In the Swart case, a police officer was among the accused. The tender scandals of Transnet are not just business corruption—they are a vector for violence, for illicit power, for assassinations.
This aligns with patterns of state capture, where private interests collude with state actors to subvert justice. The PKTT was one of the few bodies that tried to stand as a bulwark.
The Role of Whistleblowing
Whistleblowers are the canaries in mines. In Swart’s case, the Transnet hotline complaint should have triggered urgency. Instead, the cycle seems to have been: whistle → investigate → threats → silence or disband or legal leakage.
Without protections, whistleblowers are deterred, and corruption thrives.
Public Trust, Legitimacy & the Healing Wound
When the public sees a task team disbanded without transparent justification, when dockets disappear, when officers are threatened, legitimacy cracks.
Victims of political killings are often already marginalised. They deserve dignity, closure, truth. The Madlanga Commission has become a vessel for public hope that these broken parts of the justice system might be fixed. But each misstep—ineffective testimony, delayed subpoenas, stalled arrests—further erodes trust.
What Should Come Next: Paths for Accountability
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Independent forensic audit of all dockets removed from PKTT, especially the 121 files, to establish what was lost or tampered with.
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Clear public disclosure of who influenced the minister's decision. Was it political actors? Syndicates? Senior police? Someone inside intelligence? This must be transparent.
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Strengthening whistleblower protections legally and in practice—witness protection, anonymity, funding, safe reporting.
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Clarify separation of policy vs operational roles for ministers vs police leadership. Ensure legal clarity so decisions like disbandment require broad consult.
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Monitor ongoing cases like the Swart murder closely — ensure prosecutions proceed, justice delayed is justice denied.
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Public oversight mechanisms via parliament, civil society to ensure the Madlanga Commission’s findings are not shelved.
Why This Matters for South Africa
This is not just a KZN or SAPS or political killings story. This is a story about whether justice still operates in South Africa, whether political violence gets investigated honestly, whether state corruption can be challenged.
When dangerous syndicates collude with people in power, the consequences are lethal: assassinations, decay of law, and fear among those who try to speak out.
Policing isn't just about crime response. It’s about the social contract: that you are equal before the law, that your case will be heard, that your losses will matter.
Read...When Money Turns Deadly: Inside South Africa’s Growing Wave of Cash-in-Transit Heists
Suggested Internal Link Anchors (for True World Chronicle)
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Explore more: South Africa’s legacy of political violence and assassinations
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Investigative profile: Transnet corruption scandals explained
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Whistleblowers in SA: Past deaths and protections
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When political authority oversteps: Policy vs operational decisions in policing
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True World Chronicle special report: PKTT & the future of policing in KwaZulu-Natal
Conclusion: The Crossroads
As the Madlanga Commission continues its work, South Africa stands at a crossroads. Will this inquiry be a turning point—an unraveling of impunity, restoration of trust, and justice for those killed in the shadows? Or will it become yet another page in a long ledger of promises unfulfilled?
For now, the evidence is out. The testimony has been heard. Lives were lost. Dockets removed. Whistleblowers threatened. And a task team that once stood as hope was dismantled on paper—a possible casualty of political expediency.
But hope remains. Because when a forensic letter, a WhatsApp message, and the courage of one man shaking allegations become public, they remind us that the cost of silence is always borne by the most vulnerable.
Sources
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Daily Maverick — “\‘Someone influenced\’ Senzo Mchunu to disband Political Killings Task Team, Mkhwanazi tells commission” (Daily Maverick)
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News24 — “Madlanga Commission: Mkhwanazi praises task team Mchunu disbanded for adding ‘no value’” (News24)
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IOL — “Minister Senzo Mchunu faces backlash over disbandment of political killings task team” (IOL)
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Mail & Guardian — “Mkhwanazi: Mchunu not briefed before disbanding political killing task team” (The Mail & Guardian)
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The Citizen — “Madlanga commission: Mkhwanazi pulls no punches, says Mchunu involved with criminals” (The Citizen)
Gentle Closing Call
For continued in-depth coverage of corruption, political violence, and justice in South Africa, follow us at True World Chronicle — where we believe every case, every victim, and every truth must be seen.
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