'Ministers don't instruct national commissioners' - Cele

Former police minister, Bheki Cele, said that his successor, Senzo Mchunu, was not in a position to instruct National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola to disband the political killings task team.

Cele also accused Mchunu of being influenced by external factors when he decided to issue the directive to disband the task team.

He told the ad hoc committee probing police corruption on Thursday that Mchunu went about the disbandment in the wrong way and should have consulted widely.

Cele said that Mchunu was wrong when he said the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) that watches over the task team no longer existed in the new administration.

He said the IMC and Masemola should have also been Mchunu's first step when he decided to disband the task team.

Cele added that Masemola doesn't take instructions from Mchunu on police operations.

"Just to get some outside influence, using very tough language to say you instruct the disbandment. Ministers don't instruct national commissioners. We can sit down and put my ideas and say but minister it is not so."

Cele will return to the committee for his final day of testimony on Friday, where he will continue taking questions from MPs on his opposition to the task team disbandment as well as his links to people like Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala.