In a startling revelation that raises questions about the functionality of a key government ministry, Deputy Police Minister Cassel Mathale has disclosed that he and his colleague have been operating for over a year without any formally delegated responsibilities from their suspended boss, Senzo Mchunu.
Mathale and Deputy Minister Polly Boshielo were appointed to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet in June last year. Yet, according to Mathale’s testimony before a parliamentary committee, the now-suspended Minister Mchunu never signed off on a specific list of duties for either of them, leaving their official roles undefined.
“We Were Not Just Sitting in the Office”
Appearing before the ad hoc committee investigating corruption in the criminal justice system, Mathale was pressed by MPs to explain what he actually does. ANC MP Xola Nqola posed the blunt question on many South Africans’ minds: “You wake up, go to the office and do what?”
Mathale defended his position, insisting that a lack of a signed delegation did not equate to idleness. “We don’t have delegated powers signed off to say this is what you do, but we had work to do,” he stated. “We were not just sitting in the office. I have a programme that outlines what I have to do.”
He argued that the vastness and complexity of the South African Police Service (SAPS) required all hands on deck to keep a “pulse on what’s happening” and ensure the ministry remained functional, even without a formal mandate.
A Minister “Familiarising Himself”
The reason given for this unprecedented delay was that Minister Mchunu, who was moved from the water and sanitation portfolio to the critical police ministry in June 2024, was reportedly still “familiarising himself with the office.”
This explanation did little to satisfy committee members, who questioned the very necessity of having deputy ministers if they were not being empowered with clear, actionable responsibilities. The situation paints a picture of a ministry in a state of administrative paralysis at its highest levels, even before Mchunu’s suspension over corruption allegations in July.
Mathale did offer a glimmer of resolution, telling the committee that the suspended minister was now “ready to delegate duties.” However, with Mchunu suspended and Firoz Cachalia now serving as the acting police minister, it remains unclear who will finally define the roles of the two deputies and whether this long period of limbo will soon come to an end. For a department tasked with national safety and security, the revelation underscores a concerning lack of clear leadership structure at a critical time.
