Deputy Police Commissioner Mosikili Calls PKTT Disbandment 'Confusing' as Perjury Charges Loom
Lt-Gen Tebello Mosikili told Parliament that suspended Minister Senzo Mchunu's directive to disband the Political Killings Task Team surprised her, while separately facing perjury charges she says are baseless.
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Deputy National Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Tebello Mosikili appeared before Parliament's ad hoc committee on Tuesday, describing the directive to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) as "confusing" and "unexpected," according to eNCA.
Mosikili, who serves as Deputy Commissioner for Visible Policing, told lawmakers that suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu's order left her surprised, though she ultimately agreed with the task team's demise. The PKTT was established to investigate politically motivated murders, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, where dozens of councillors and traditional leaders have been killed in recent years.
The parliamentary appearance comes as Mosikili faces separate perjury charges related to a theft case she opened in Centurion. According to Sowetan Live, the charges stem from a complaint filed after she lost valuables including a cellphone and cash. Mosikili has denied the allegations, calling them baseless.
The timing of both controversies places Mosikili at the centre of South African law enforcement debates. The PKTT's disbandment has drawn criticism from civil society groups who argue that political violence remains a serious threat to democratic governance, particularly in provinces like KwaZulu-Natal where factional battles within political parties have turned deadly.
During her testimony, Mosikili provided insight into the internal police dynamics surrounding the task team's closure, though details of her reasoning for supporting the disbandment despite her initial confusion were not immediately clear from the parliamentary proceedings.
In a separate incident highlighting ongoing violence against traditional leaders, police in Limpopo are searching for two masked men suspected of murdering a chief at a royal house. The Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) responded by calling for the death penalty to be reinstated, according to Sowetan Live. The traditional leader was killed during a housebreaking incident at the royal residence.
The murder adds to a growing list of attacks on traditional leaders across South Africa, raising questions about security measures for chiefs and the effectiveness of specialized units like the now-disbanded PKTT in addressing such violence.