Testimony at ongoing police inquiries in South Africa has spotlighted the role of specialised task teams amid allegations of political interference. KwaZulu-Natal's top police official accused the suspended minister of trying to disband a key unit investigating political killings. This has raised broader questions about how the South African Police Service prioritises and resources its detective efforts.
Ongoing investigations by a judicial commission led by Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga and a Parliamentary ad hoc committee are examining serious allegations against suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has claimed that Mchunu attempted to shut down the Political Killings Task Team for improper reasons, aiming to disrupt probes into connections between organised crime groups, senior politicians, police, and criminal justice officials.
The Political Killings Task Team, established in 2018 within the SAPS Detective Services division, has finalised 191 of 333 political cases, securing 56 guilty verdicts—a 29% rate—and 106 convictions overall, achieving a 35% conviction rate across 296 cases. Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, head of the task team and SAPS Crime Intelligence, noted that it has significantly reduced political killings in KwaZulu-Natal. Witnesses have praised its effectiveness, though allegations of abuse and high expenditure persist.
On 16 October 2025, Mchunu testified before the ad hoc committee, denying improper motives and stating he was implementing a June 2019 decision by police leadership to handle political killings through specialised murder and robbery units. "You need to make the people of South Africa feel safe, not a certain grouping of people called public representatives or councillors," he said, arguing against privileging politicians' safety amid widespread crime threats.
Task teams differ from permanent specialised units in SAPS; the latter address ongoing issues with stable funding, while task teams target temporary hotspots with short-term allocations. In 2024, SAPS had 16 specialised detective units, plus recent task teams for kidnapping, economic infrastructure crimes, illegal mining, extortion, and at least seven local ones for aggravated robberies like residential, car hijacking, and business cases.
SAPS has voiced concerns over the sustainability of proliferating units and teams, citing a 2024 presentation and March 2024 work study on overlapping mandates and gaps at stations. With only 18,000 detectives—despite plans to add over 4,000—the murder detection rate stands at 11%, and caseloads often exceed 200 dockets per detective. The Hawks, focusing on serious corruption and organised crime, is also understaffed, needing double its personnel.
Since 2023, a government-business partnership has aimed to bolster the detective service, addressing neglect in areas like energy, transport, logistics, crime, and corruption. Testimony at the Madlanga Commission about alleged organised crime ties to DPCI and SAPS personnel underscores integrity challenges. Experts view task teams as stopgap measures, calling for comprehensive reforms to build a trusted system reducing murders, rapes, and other serious crimes.