The Madlanga Commission is expected on Wednesday to turn its attention to alleged police hit squads operating in KwaZulu-Natal, with testimony set to focus on claims that members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) carried out extra-judicial killings while operating under the guise of a task team.
Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said on Tuesday that the new line of inquiry would examine allegations involving police members who allegedly targeted suspects in cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies, taxi operators and members of drug syndicates.
“The Commission will today shift its focus to alleged hit squads operating in KwaZulu-Natal and consisting of members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) who allegedly commit extra-judicial killings,” Michaels said.
“These ‘hit squads’ allegedly target suspects in Cash-In-Transit (CIT) robberies, as well as taxi operators and drug syndicates under the guise of a Task Team.”
The first witness in the new theme is expected to appear when proceedings resume at 09:30.
The Commission on Tuesday continued hearing testimony from IDAC prosecutor Drushantha Ramsamy, whose evidence raised further questions about the alleged involvement of Democratic Alliance MP Ian Cameron in plans to have, among others, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo arrested or otherwise implicated in criminal proceedings.
Ramsamy’s testimony also prompted questions about how then-IDAC head Andrea Johnson and her associates could have known in advance about questions that MPs serving on Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police intended to put to Masemola.
This has raised an inference that Cameron, who chairs the committee, may have kept IDAC officials informed about the committee’s activities. The allegations remain subject to the Commission’s findings.
Meanwhile, Parliament has rejected embattled National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams’s claim that a faulty laptop prevented him from submitting an affidavit to the Commission on time.
Parliamentary spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said there was no record of Adams experiencing serious or persistent problems with his parliamentary laptop.
“The records do not reflect any reported incident of persistent laptop malfunction, hardware failure, repeated freezing of the device, or the laptop being repeatedly submitted to ICT for repairs,” Parliament said in a statement.
It said there was therefore no ICT Service Desk record supporting Adams’s assertion that his parliamentary laptop had been persistently dysfunctional for approximately 18 months.
Parliament also pointed out that members are provided with more than one device as part of their tools of trade.
“It is also important to clarify that Parliament’s provision of tools of trade to Members is not limited to a single laptop. Members are provided with multiple ICT devices, including a laptop, tablet and smartphone,” the legislature said.
Adams is expected to return to the Commission on 19 August, with chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga having previously warned him against showing further disrespect towards the inquiry.
The Commission continues its hearings on Wednesday morning.