Mchunu admits 'disband' was wrong term for Political Killings Task Team

Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu told the commission on Friday that, in hindsight, he should have used a different term instead of "disband" when issuing his December instruction regarding the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).

Mr Mchunu claimed that his true intention was for the PKTT to be absorbed or integrated into the Murder and Robbery Unit, with all PKTT members retaining their employment.

READ: Mchunu tells Madlanga Commission decision to disband PKTT was fueled by several complaints against the unit

Mchunu’s instruction for the PKTT’s “immediate disbandment” has been met with harsh criticism, with KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi suggesting the order was linked to the team’s recent investigations into the criminal underworld in Gauteng.

The suspended minister maintained that the word "disband" was incorrect in his December instruction regarding the PKTT.

"The actual intention is you transform, you absorb, you are not throwing it away, you are not firing people," Mchunu stated in his testimony. "Practically what would happen is less of disbandment than actual disbandment."

In justifying his decision to effectively disestablish the task team, Mchunu argued that murders in South Africa (SA) in general are an issue and should not be confined to a specific category.

"The national focus should now be on murders, all of them," he concluded.

Mr Mchunu is expected to conclude his testimony before the commission this evening.