National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola says KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police chief Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi went far beyond what was meant to be disclosed during his explosive media briefing.
Masemola was testifying before parliament’s ad hoc committee held at the Good Hope Chamber in Cape Town on Tuesday, 17 March 2026.
The committee is probing allegations of corruption, criminal infiltration and political interference within South Africa’s law enforcement agencies, stemming from Mkhwanazi’s 6 July 2025 press conference.
Masemola-Mkhwanazi meeting
Addressing claims that he and Mkhwanazi held a secret meeting prior to the briefing, Masemola rejected this characterisation.
“How can commanders of the police meet clandestinely?” Masemola remarked.
He told MPs that the meeting took place officially at the South African Police Service (Saps) training college in Pretoria and covered operational matters, including the political killings task team (PKTT), which had faced uncertainty after Police Minister Senzo Mchunu issued a directive on New Year’s Eve in December 2024 to disband it.
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The national police commissioner testified that information retrieved from alleged cartel figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s cellphone also formed part of discussions ahead of the press conference.
Masemola explained he had planned to brief President Cyril Ramaphosa and submit a full report based on the same presentation delivered by Mkhwanazi and his team.
“They worked on the presentation and came back with a full analysis of what had happened. Thereafter, I said, ‘Bring the report so I can present it to the president’.”
He added that he had already shared preliminary findings with Ramaphosa before the president departed for Brazil.
Mkhwanazi ‘went overboard’
Masemola informed the committee that his approval of the briefing was based on Mkhwanazi’s stated intention to address issues related to the PKTT.
“The PKTT’s work had not been reported on for quite some time since the minister’s appointment. It was no longer reported to the public as it had been before.
“Mkhwanazi said, ‘No, I want to talk about PKTT to the people of KZN’, to which I responded, ‘I have got no problem with that, but just leave my part for the president.’”
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The 6 July briefing included allegations implicating Mchunu, claims about a so-called “Big Five” drug cartel and assertions of criminal infiltration within the justice system.
According to the national police commissioner, the briefing was expected to remain limited in scope, but it ultimately “overlapped” what had been discussed.
“In the press conference, you would have seen the presentation start with the work of the PKTT. That’s how far it was going to go,” the national police commissioner said.
Masemola added: “He went overboard with everything.”
Delayed engagement with police minister
Masemola further testified that he had attempted to meet with Mchunu before the media briefing took place, but this did not happen in time.
The two met only after the press conference had aired.
“I said I wanted to see you about what you have seen on TV.”
The national commissioner also confirmed that he deposed an affidavit on 4 July 2025 to enable Mkhwanazi to open a criminal case relating to the disbandment of the PKTT.
He argued that the move to dissolve the task team was intended to disrupt ongoing investigations.
Masemola told the committee the decision effectively interfered with the work of Gauteng Crime Intelligence Operations (GCI Ops) and, by extension, prevented Matlala’s arrest.
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