Parliament’s ad hoc committee probing criminality, interference and corruption within the justice system has this week heard how political meddling began long before minister Senzo Mchunu took office.
On Wednesday, former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane alleged interference within the South African Police Service (Saps) intensified significantly after the ANC’s 2007 conference, and under Fikile Mbalula’s spell as police minister.
Phahlane served as acting national police commissioner from October 2015 until June 2017, when he was asked to step aside.
He was later arrested and charged with fraud and corruption in February 2018.
His employment with the police formally ended in July 2020.
A call from Mbalula
He described receiving a call from then police minister Fikile Mbalula’s office while he was in Pretoria, instructing him to travel to Cape Town for a meeting.
According to Phahlane, after arriving in the Western Cape, he waited for more than three hours for a meeting that lasted “less than five minutes”.
At the time, allegations against him were dominating news headlines.
Phahlane informed MPs he agreed to the request to step down.
“I agreed because I am not glued to any position.”
However, he told the committee that while at Cape Town International Airport, he saw Mbalula announce on television that he had been “removed” and was required to provide reasons within 48 hours why he should not be suspended.
The former police boss claimed he only received a formal suspension notice on 7 June.
“You never suspend someone verbally without documents.”
He maintained that the police minister had no legal authority to remove him and that, constitutionally, such a decision rested with then-president Jacob Zuma.
“To date, I don’t have a letter signed by the president which is saying you are being removed as an acting national commissioner.”
READ MORE: Ex-national police commissioner Phahlane says he was the ‘guinea pig of the step aside policy’
