Justice Madlanga describes transfer of 121 KZN dockets to Pretoria for inspection as ‘nonsensical’

Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga has labelled the transfer of 121 dockets from KwaZulu-Natal to Pretoria for inspection as “nonsensical.”

The judge weighed in after the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry heard on Monday that those instructed to audit the dockets didn’t understand why they were doing so.

ALSO READ:

• Handover of 118 dockets to SAPS HQ not properly done due to lack of prep time, Madlanga Commission told
• Madlanga Commission hears that some of the 121 dockets probed by KZN PKTT had serious discrepancies

In March, suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya issued an instruction for the dockets to be transferred to police headquarters in Pretoria.

Sibiya claimed he was acting on the instruction from National Police Commissioner Fanie Masemola, a claim Masemola has disputed during his testimony before the commission.

Questions around why an instruction was issued to have 121 dockets being investigated by the KZN Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) transferred to the South African Police Service (SAPS) head office for auditing have been raised by the commissioners at the Madlanga Commission.

On Monday, SAPS’s component head for serious and violent crime investigation, Mary Motsepe, testified that she was instructed to oversee the audit of the dockets.

Justice Madlanga could not understand why the dockets had to be transferred to Pretoria for auditing when it could have been done in KZN.

“Why could the auditing process not take place in KZN? Why did the dockets have to come up to head office for that simple process?”

The instruction for the dockets to be brought to Pretoria were given by Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo.

It’s understood that Sibiya instructed Khumalo tomanage the handover process of the dockets, as he is the project coordinator of the KZN PKTT.

During his testimony, Khumalo conceded he issued the instruction, a decision he claimed he later regretted.

JOIN US ON WHATSAPP

Stay ahead of the story: Join our WhatsApp channel today.

Want breaking news at your fingertips, the moment it happens? Our WhatsApp Channel is the fastest way to stay connected with the stories that matter most.

From breaking news alerts to exclusive stories, analysis and must-read features - you’ll get it all directly on your phone.

Joining is simple.

Just click Follow on our WhatsApp Channel and stay informed.