KZN political killings task team 'unmatched' in solving crimes, Madlanga Inquiry hears

The KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team are seen as a highly successful unit that is "unmatched" when it comes to resolving crimes.

National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola made his feelings known around the work the task team were conducting while testifying at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria on Monday.

The task team have been a focal point of the explosive allegations set out by KZN police commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, in July.

This follows an instruction to disband the unit by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu in December.

Masemola revealed that ten members of the task team were requested to assist members of the Gauteng counter-intelligence operations in a high-profile murder case following threats on their lives.

What started as a five-member team of Gauteng detectives from counter-intelligence, probing the high-profile murder of Vereeniging engineer, Armand Swart in 2024, resulted in only two detectives staying on the case, as three others pulled out due to threats against their lives.

National Police CommissionerFannie Masemola alleges that senior police members infiltrated the investigation, protecting the cartel behind Swart's murder.

"The two investigators, at some point they were told by one of their seniors that there is three envelopes ready. The one envelope is for the two of them, the other envelope is for the prosecutor and the other envelope is for the magistrate."

This pushed Crime Intelligence head, Dumisani Khumalo, to request assistance from members outside the province of Gauteng, calling on his close ally, Mkhwanazi, to deploy 10 members of the KZN political killings task team to assist in investigating Swart's murder.

The task team managed to arrest businessman and alleged underworld figure, Katiso "KT" Molefe for Swart's murder.

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