MK Party Treads Carefully on Police Allegations Probe

With serious claims shaking the SAPS leadership, Parliament is scrambling to investigate, but not everyone is on board just yet.

In a parliamentary session charged with urgency and uncertainty, the MK Party chose to step back rather than fall in line. On Tuesday, the party reserved its position on a report proposing the formation of an Ad Hoc Committee to investigate explosive allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

It wasn’t a rejection, but it wasn’t a green light either.

“We don’t want to be included in the people who agreed on everything,” said MK Party spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi. “The MK reserves its position to this report.”

This careful language signals a deeper tension: between the need for transparency in policing, and the fear of rushed or politically manipulated processes.

Why the Probe Matters

At the heart of the issue are claims from Mkhwanazi that suggest serious failures—or worse—within South Africa’s police and intelligence structures. The allegations have rattled national confidence in the integrity of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and raised concerns about how security matters are being handled at the highest levels.

Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, tasked three key parliamentary committees—including the Joint Committee on Intelligence—with urgently considering the matter. Their conclusion? A dedicated, multi-party Ad Hoc Committee should be formed to investigate.

MK Party’s Reservations Explained

The MK Party’s caution stems partly from how the report itself was put together. MPs had already flagged concerns over inaccuracies, omissions, and what they called “sanitisation” in the minutes of previous committee meetings. These red flags prompted late-stage edits to the draft report, another cause for unease.

MK’s David Skosana didn’t hold back: “We need to go to the bottom of this. There should not be anything between us and the truth. Some of the institutions are hiding the truth.”

But for now, MK is staying on the sidelines until key details, like how the Ad Hoc Committee will be structured and what its exact scope will be are finalised.

Debate Gets Heated Over Process

Questions flew during Tuesday’s meeting. Who decides the terms of reference? How many members will sit on the committee? Will parties be represented fairly?

Police Committee Chair Ian Cameron assured MPs that the Ad Hoc Committee itself will have the power to shape its mandate. “It is not for us to set out the entire terms of reference,” he said. “That will be determined in a motion, and the committee will request legal advice if necessary.”

Still, some MPs felt the process was being pushed through too fast. EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys said bluntly: “Everything is rushed.” Her colleague Rebecca Mohlala echoed the concern, saying the report lacked a proper roadmap.

A Committee with a Deadline and Expectations

The two lead chairs, Cameron and Xola Nqola of the Justice Portfolio, issued a joint statement after the meeting. They defended the committee’s creation as the best way to ensure a fair and comprehensive probe. They also proposed that the Ad Hoc Committee be required to report back within 90 days, unless more time is deemed necessary.

Their tone suggested urgency, but also a need to get things right.

“This process must be thorough, transparent, and multiparty,” they said.

Public Trust on the Line

In a country where police misconduct and corruption continue to erode public trust, the stakes for this investigation couldn’t be higher. The MK Party’s hesitance may be strategic, it’s easier to demand accountability when you haven’t signed off too quickly on a process still in flux.

Whether this caution pays off or risks being seen as obstruction, remains to be seen when Parliament next sits.

But one thing is clear: in South Africa’s volatile political landscape, even agreeing to investigate the truth is not without its complications.

{Source: IOL}

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