'Cartel shut down SAPS unit'

THE elite Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) was shut down by orders of a cartel that feared being exposed, the Madlanga Commission heard today.

The shocking revelation was made by SAPS Crime Intelligence Head, Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo as he entered his evidence to the inquiry into the corruption of top police officials and the justice system.

The PKTT was dissolved in December 2024 after suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu sent a directive to the National Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, claiming the unit "no longer added value" to police work.

However, Khumalo’s testimony directly contradicts that narrative, suggesting the team was making dangerous progress.

Khumalo alleged that a cartel working in Gauteng was stringing armed, powerful individuals within the state to dismantle the unit, not due to inefficiency, but to avoid scrutiny amid growing evidence of deep infiltration by organised crime into the criminal justice system.

Some of the explosive evidence will not be on camera.

He said: “But alongside this evidence set out in the statement, there is also considerably more evidence at my disposal that cannot be shared in a public space for the following reasons.

Khumalo revealed that some of his findings cannot be disclosed publicly due to operational security concerns.

He said: “Sharing some of the evidence will expose our methodologies, will expose our informants, the resources, taking also into consideration the high risk, the current threat assessment of the Gauteng organised crime, Gauteng counterintelligence investigation."

“As it's still ongoing, also sharing some of the information will compromise the same ongoing investigation.”

He emphasised that certain testimonies must be heard in camera, citing a high-risk threat environment and the critical need to protect both sources and the integrity of the investigations.

Khumalo also claimed that the cartel he called the "Big Five" is based in Gauteng and is allegedly involved in various sectors of organised crime, including drug trafficking, hijackings, tender fraud, and contract killings.

Khumalo named on-trial duo Katiso “KT” Molefe and Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala as two members and suggested that far more dangerous underworld figures are part of the syndicate.

He added: “The Big Five has already penetrated the political sphere. There are documented cases of high-profile connections in politics, with senior politicians alleged to be complicit or willfully blind to the syndicate’s operations."