Former acting commissioner Gen Khomotso Phahlane has requested additional time to present his evidence at the ad hoc committee.
This is after the committee investigating allegations of criminality and political interference in the criminal justice system allocated only a day for him to present his evidence.
Phahlane submitted an affidavit before his billed appearance on Wednesday.
When he took the stand, he started by raising concerns that a day would not be adequate for him to go through the 168-page affidavit.
“I surely don’t want to be here and run issues for the sake of running issues.
“It was important for me to provide context insofar as the affidavit is concerned and considering the amount of time we took putting this affidavit [together].
“So I would appreciate that we do justice to the matters that have been raised [in the affidavit],” he said.
Political parties represented in the committee, in their input, agreed that Phahlane should commence with his evidence, and if the need for another day is required, then they would make a determination.
This resulted in the chairperson of the committee, Soviet Lekganyane, saying that he should not worry at this stage.
“Let’s run the proceedings, and at the appropriate time, a determination will be made, and if the committee feels that there is a need for (an) extension, it will arrive at that,” he said.
Phahlane was appointed to be acting commissioner of the SAPS in October 2015, and in July 2017 he was asked to step aside by the then police minister Fikile Mbalula due to allegations of corruption and interference in police investigations, and he was later dismissed.
Last year, Senzo Mchunu’s chief of staff, Cedrick Nkabinde, said that forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan and former police watchdog boss Robert McBride plotted against Phahlane because they wanted McBride to be the national commissioner.
O’Sullivan and McBride are yet to appear before the committee.
Proceedings continue.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.