Police Deputy Minister Polly Boshielo on Tuesday said she was disappointed when now suspended Minister Senzo Mchunu issued his letter of directives in December 2024, without consulting either of his deputy ministers.
Testifying at the parliamentary inquiry into allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Commissioner Lt-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, Boshielo said she first became aware of the letter of directives when it was circulated on social media.
“I became aware of the directive while it was circulating on social media and I assumed it was fake until the minister called me in early January to inform me that the letter, was not fake and he wrote it himself,” she said.
The inquiry covers the alleged unlawful disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), the moratorium in the filling of vacancies in the Crime Intelligence Unit and alleged corrupt relationship between senior leadership of SAPS and members of the public as well as political interference in the work of the police service.
It was sparked by a directives issued by Mchunu to national commissioner Fannie Masemola on December 31, 2024, to disband the PKTT with immediate effect.
Boshielo told the parliamentary inquiry that she was not sent nor copied the letter Mchunu sent to Masemola.
She also said she had been disappointed that Mchunu did not consult either her or Cassel Mathale on his directives.
“I was a little bit disappointed. I thought we were working together.”
Boshielo said that Mchunu could have discussed the directives with them as deputy ministers, but instead used his executive authority.
“I think he had the powers to issue the letter and he used it accordingly.”
The Deputy Minister also said there should have been due process because the minister and Masemola should be able to work together and agree on the process to be followed on the directives.
“The minister might have executive powers to give directives but the person to implement is the accounting officer (Masemola) and they should find each other.”
Earlier in her testimony, Boshielo confirmed that she did not receive any delegated powers in writing from Mchunu.
“Although the minister did not delegate to us functions in writing, from time to time we would assist him to do the work. Although the minister did not pen down the delegations, there had been functions we were able to do arising from responsibilities of accounting to Parliament,” she said.
Last week, Deputy Minister Cassel Mathale revealed that they were not assigned delegated powers since they were appointed to their positions last year.
Boshielo told the inquiry that Acting Minister Firoz Cachalia has, since his appointment, allocated the deputy ministers responsibilities.
But, the delegated powers are yet to be in writing.
Responding to questions from MPs, Boshielo said she had discussed the issue of not being delegated powers and how she told Mchunu of her unhappiness on “more than three occasions”.
“We raised the issue with the minister himself. We had not reached a point to get to the president and raise the issue,” she said.
Asked by chief evidence leader Advocate Norman Arendse, SC, whether they had discussed the PKTT in their meetings, the deputy minister recalled discussing it in passing when they dealt with the organisational structure of the SAPS.
“We did not discuss it in detail,” she said.
Boshielo she heard the full report on the PKTT for the first time when Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo made a presentation at the meeting of the Police portfolio committee on March 5.
Although she said she did not know much about the PKTT, Boshielo said: “I think they were doing a great job”.
Boshielo also told the inquiry that the ministry meetings with SAPS management did not discuss the disbandment of the PKTT.
“We did not especially discuss that PKTT (or its) disbandment but we spoke about empowering the murder and robbery unit.”
She also said she had been “vey surprised” when Mkhwanazi made statements in the portfolio committee meeting about Mchunu being linked to North West businessman Brown Mogotsi as Mkhwanazi had not raised the issues at their meetings.
Boshielo denied knowing Mogotsi and attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
She also said she was unaware of Mchunu interfering in operational issues within SAPS.
However, Boshielo said Mchunu had raised concerns about the R360 million tender that had been awarded to Matlala.
“I did not understand because we don’t get involved in tenders as deputy ministers or ministers. I was surprised the minister raised concerns about this tender,” she said, adding that Mchunu had asked that the tender be reviewed and he wanted it cancelled.
The tender was cancelled five months after Mchunu had raised his concerns in December 2024.
