A report calling for the disbanding of the National Political Task Team has caused panic among the families of victims assassinated for political reasons or fights within traditional leadership.
The report by Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu surfaced earlier this month and has left these families with questions that no one is currently answering.
The task team was established in 2018 to investigate political killings in KwaZulu-Natal and recently, it was given a mandate to investigate assassinations of traditional leaders.
Thembeka Nsimbi, the eldest daughter of former ANC deputy chairperson and provincial MPL Zibuse Mlaba, said what they saw on social media and the news has left them confused and panicking as a family.
Nsimbi said she was not aware of the stats but as a family, they were happy with the team and the progress that it has made in her father’s murder case. She urged that this not be ignored.
“On our side, we are satisfied with the investigation. I’m amazed at how they took a 2021 dead case, did investigations, and made swift arrests,” she said.
She said they had not received any communication regarding the disbanding of the team.
Mlaba, a former chief of KwaXimba in Camperdown, was gunned down in 2021. His alleged killers would be going for their pre-trail conference next month.
The sister-in-law of Michael Buthelezi, a DA councillor from Bergville, expressed her trust in the team to ensure justice is served. Buthelezi is charged with the murder of his wife and kids, who were killed in a house fire in 2023.
Khanyisile Khoza claimed that should the team be disbanded, Buthelezi would walk free. She alleged that he has friends in high places and that he had been getting away with a lot.
“He used to get arrested but would be released soon,” said Khoza.
She said after the murder of her sister and children, they went to beg a station commander at Mnambithi to make sure that the case was not investigated at Bergville police station.
“They came back to tell us that the case would be handed to another unit and this team came on board,” she said.
The matter is currently on trial.
Lwazi Magaqa, a cousin of former ANCYL treasurer Sindiso Magaqa, said they had not received any formal communication that the team was being disbanded.
“We were shocked to see this on the news because there are still pending cases, like that of Sindiso, which has been delayed for years. This is not good news,” he said.
He said the pace at Magaqa’s case was slow but hailed the team leader of the task team.
“The team is good and their leader is always making sure that we are up to date with everything that is happening regarding the case. If they are disbanded we will not get justice,” said Lwazi.
Reliable sources close to the task team said ever since Mchunu took over the office, he has not sat down with the team or looked at its work and progress.
“Former minister Bheki Cele used to come now and then to the team to monitor their progress and hold meetings with them,” claimed the source.
The source said the team is made up of members from all over the country, from different police stations and units.
The source said the team was currently receiving calls from families panicking and asking what would happen to them. The source further said that in most of the cases that the team deals with, the perpetrators are well-connected.
The source claimed that other cases were not being investigated due to the identity of the perpetrators. This led to witnesses making false statements to police based in local police stations.
“The team has managed to stabilise areas, among others like uMkhomazi in terms of political killings. Ever since the arrest of two police officers, Mayendran Chetty and Vincent Phelago, there have not been any politically reported cases,” said the source.
These two cops are currently on trial. They allegedly went on a killing spree while dressed in SAPS uniform.
Approached for comment, Kamogelo Mogotsi, the spokesperson of Mchunu, said: “The minister is not taking interviews for this matter.”
The Director of Public Prosecutions in KZN, Advocate Elaine Harrison, said they had not received formal communication regarding the disbanding of the team.
“The Organised Crime Component, which has been assigned to deal with the political cases, has been working with the task team as normal and nothing has changed to date. It is hoped that the minister will issue a formal correspondence to our national office advising them of the disbandment,” she added.
Harrison emphasised that the disbandment of any SAPS task team does not necessitate the removal of prosecutors who have been assigned to cases.
“Disbandment of a task team is definitely not a justiciable reason to remove a prosecutor. These prosecutors will continue with the cases that they have been assigned with whether or not the task team is disbanded,” she said.