Police Minister Senzo Mchunu misled Parliament when he informed the ad hoc committee investigating allegations of cartel infiltration, corruption, political interference, and unlawful activities within the criminal justice system that the Police Killings Task Team (PKTT) was straining SAPS finances.
During his appearance before the committee last month, Mchunu defended his failed decision to disband the PKTT by citing budget constraints, claiming that other vital functions were left unfunded as a result.
These allegations — concerning financial strain and lack of accountability within the PKTT — were echoed by suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, Mchunu’s reported advisor Marry De Haas, and businessman and alleged influence broker Brown Mogotsi. All four claimed, without supplying evidence, that internal SAPS records highlighted the PKTT’s financial burden.
However, SAPS Chief Financial Officer, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, strongly denied that any such determination was ever made.
Both Mchunu and Sibiya submitted notes purportedly authored by Dimpane to support their testimony. Dimpane rejected their interpretation, stating that the documents — some intended for the National Commissioner and others for Crime Intelligence Head Dumisani Khumalo — were taken out of context, raising concerns about how they were accessed.
“I have never had any questions from the minister about the SAPS budget, its task teams — whether PKTT or any other,” Dimpane confirmed, responding to a question from ANC MP Khusela Diko. “All discussions I was part of regarding finances or budgets related to the PKTT were with the National Commissioner, and certainly never with the minister.”
Dimpane further clarified that her ongoing discussions with National Commissioner Fannie Masemola were not focused on the task team’s effectiveness. She affirmed the PKTT had performed successfully, but the concern arose when killings persisted in KwaZulu-Natal, while other provinces began requesting its intervention.
She also distanced herself from the multimillion-rand tender awarded to alleged criminal mastermind Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, stating that she moved swiftly to have the contract terminated after it was flagged.