WATCH: KZN NPA Head to testify on political interference | Madlanga Commission
Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, a distinguished jurist and Rhodes University alumnus, returns to his alma mater as chancellor, bringing a wealth of experience and a commitment to education, justice, and public service.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
Proceedings at the Madlanga Commission are expected to enter day seven, with the KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head, Elaine Harrison, set to testify.
Harrison is expected to shed light on claims of infiltration and political interference within the unit.
Her testimony is set to delve into a controversial letter allegedly issued by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu in 2024, instructing the disbandment of the KZN political killings task team.
This is a move that may have directly undermined ongoing investigations into high-profile assassinations and politically motivated violence in the province.
The PKTT was tasked with investigating political killings in the province.
The NPA had previously embedded a team of prosecutors to work alongside the task team, ensuring that investigations were prosecution-led to secure swift convictions in politically sensitive murder cases.
However, last week, during his own appearance before the commission, KZN Police Commissioner, Lt-Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi revealed that the provincial NPA was allegedly not consulted about Mchunu’s decision — a directive that would have had serious implications for the prosecutorial team embedded in the unit.
The letter, addressed to National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola, reportedly went further, ordering a freeze on the recruitment of all Crime Intelligence posts, both at provincial and national levels — a move that critics say may have hobbled critical investigative capacity within SAPS.
The commission also heard damning testimony from SAPS expert, Major-General Patronella Van Rooyen, who accused top police leadership of betraying their oath to uphold the law by protecting criminal networks through deliberate interference.
In her scathing remarks, Van Rooyen directly implicated both Mchunu and SAPS Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, accusing them of exceeding their legal mandate to shield criminal elements from investigation.
“So the fact that the Portfolio Committee didn’t act on that is, in my mind, a failure of their mandate,” Van Rooyen told the commission, slamming Parliament for turning a blind eye to what she called blatant political meddling in law enforcement affairs.
The Madlanga Commission was established to investigate the collapse of anti-corruption and political violence investigations in KZN, following years of concern over the province’s spiraling political assassination rate.
Harrison’s testimony is expected to clarify the NPA’s internal position and response to Mchunu’s directive.
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