Tensions at the highest levels of the South African Police Service (SAPS) over the controversial 2018 disbandment of the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) were laid bare on Friday when Acting Deputy National Commissioner Hilda Senthumule described her “touch-and-go” relationship with her former boss, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya.
Testifying before the Justice Mandlanga Commission of Inquiry into political killings in KwaZulu-Natal, Senthumule told the panel that the decision to dissolve the specialised unit created deep divisions at police headquarters.
“I will not say it was one of the best relationships,” Senthumule said of her interactions with Sibiya, the then-head of Crime Detection. “Today you could be in his good books, and tomorrow – for no reason – you could be in his bad books. It was touch-and-go, but we had to work together.”
The rift intensified when Sibiya instructed Senthumule, then Divisional Commissioner for Detective and Forensic Services, to urgently coordinate the audit and handover of 121 sensitive political murder dockets from the PKTT back to their original stations. Senthumule admitted she could not prioritise the task due to her heavy workload – a delay that further strained relations with Sibiya.
Although she told the commission she had strongly opposed the disbandment of the task team internally, Senthumule was guarded during her testimony and did not openly state her personal stance on the decision.
The PKTT, established in 2016 to probe politically motivated assassinations in KwaZulu-Natal, was abruptly shut down in 2018 despite having secured several high-profile convictions. Critics, including families of victims and civil society groups, have long claimed the closure allowed powerful networks behind the killings to escape accountability.
Senthumule’s testimony follows earlier evidence that the disbandment order came directly from then-National Commissioner Khehla Sitole and was implemented despite protests from senior detectives.
The commission continues next week with further senior police witnesses expected to testify.