MKP MP David Skosana greeting General Fannie Masemola at the Ad Hoc Committee hearing on Tuesday.
Image: ParliamentRSA / Supplied
uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party MP David Skosana has said that the allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi have shown that there is no smoke without fire.
Skosana was speaking on the sidelines of Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee on Tuesday, where National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola appeared before the committee.
Masemola reiterated his earlier testimony regarding the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), saying suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu had overstepped his authority by ordering the unit’s dissolution.
Masemola said he had approved Mkhwanazi’s request to brief the public on the work of the PKTT, but not to present his own findings.
“Remember, I said he asked to go and brief on the work of the PKTT, and I said yes, proceed on that, but not on my report,” Masemola told the committee.
National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola appeared before the committee.
Image: ParliamentRSA / Supplied
After getting an opportunity to question Masemola, Skosana said that from where he is sitting, after having listened to the testimony from the upper echelons of the South African Police Service (SAPS), there are a lot of contradictions.
“In my view, there are a lot of things that contradict each other. You know, when you listen to other generals who came in here - the former deputy national commissioner (Lt-Gen Francinah Vuma) and the others - and what they are telling us as well, (it shows that) we have to get the truth. There's always another side to the story, in every story.
“We will have to apply our minds and make sure that, with the legal team, we get to the bottom of this. Lt-General Mkhwanazi was very clear about the interference and all these things which are happening in the security cluster - whether it is correctional services, justice, or police,” Skosana said.
“We need to make sure that these underlying problems, which have engulfed the country, in terms of our safety as a country, and the interference, we have to get to the bottom of them.
“There should be consequence management, and people have to be prosecuted. Indeed, there is no doubt about that. They might deny, because these are still allegations, but these allegations have to be tested,” Skosana said.
The Ad Hoc Committee will see the return of Mkhwanazi, on Wednesday, who will be the last witness before the committee. Mkhwanazi recently had his contract renewed for a further five-year term, officials confirmed this week.
Skosana said that Mkhwanazi has done the country proud.
“If you listen to what is happening here at the Ad Hoc Committee and at the Madlanga Commission, there will be consequences once they finish their job and give the report to the president.”
Skosana said whether the officials act on the report is another story, but that “indeed it's (been) a revelation irrespective of knowing exactly what is happening in the country”.
“There are people who are in charge but who are not in offices, but there's no smoke without fire; obviously, it means there's something wrong in the country, which has to be reset.
“We must reset this country, the police service, and the judicial system,” Skosana said.
“Though I'm not happy in terms of the judicial system, (as) we didn't touch much on that, but we need to dig deeper.
“Maybe next year, you know, we'll have another joint committee, where we'll deal exactly with the judiciary of this country. Because I can tell you, if we don't fix our judiciary, we are wasting time with the police.
“Police will arrest people, at the end of the day, those people will be out of jail within no time, you know? So we need to make sure as well that the SAPS (and judiciary) are strong.”
theolin.tembo@inl.co.za