President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied approving the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), stating under oath the decision was taken without his consent and fell within the operational authority of the police.
In written responses to parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations made by Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, Ramaphosa says he was informed about the move around February 1 2025 by national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola, who indicated that police minister Senzo Mchunu had instructed that the unit be disbanded.
Ramaphosa says he expressed dissatisfaction at not being consulted and subsequently met Mchunu, who confirmed issuing the instruction. He states he did not approve of the decision and expected the work of the task team to continue.
“I did not approve of this decision,” Ramaphosa says in an affidavit.
The president adds he understood from Masemola that the task team would continue operating despite the directive and that any steps taken by the commissioner would fall within his authority.
Ramaphosa also states he was not informed in advance of the disbandment and only became aware of it through his engagement with the national commissioner. He confirms he did not intervene directly, maintaining that operational decisions within the SA Police Service fall outside presidential authority.
He says he conveyed his dissatisfaction to Mchunu during their meeting, particularly at not being consulted, and indicated that he expected to be kept informed of further decisions affecting the work of the unit. However, he reiterates the matter fell within the commissioner’s remit and he did not issue any instruction to reverse the decision.
The president draws a distinction between policy direction and operational control, with Ramaphosa citing constitutional provisions that assign the minister responsibility for determining national policing policy, while the national commissioner exercises control and management of the police service.
He states whether the instruction to disband the PKTT was lawful depends on the interpretation of these provisions and is a matter for determination by the judicial commission of inquiry.
On the establishment of structures to address political killings, Ramaphosa says he did not create the PKTT. Instead, he instructed the formation of an inter-ministerial committee in May 2018 to co-ordinate government efforts in response to political killings, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal.
He says this followed engagements with ministers after the killing of ANC councillor Musawenkosi Mchunu, and that the committee was intended to ensure co-ordination across the justice and security cluster.
On the legality of the disbandment, he states that the question hinges on the respective powers of the minister and the national commissioner, and that he expects the commission to determine whether the directive fell within the minister’s authority.
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