MPs say they are disappointed with Mary de Haas' evidence
The Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Head Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi hears new evidence from Dr Mary de Haas.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
ANC MP Xola Nqola said that they were disappointed by the testimony of Dr Mary de Haas to Parliament on Tuesday, describing it as the opposite of what they anticipated.
Tuesday’s proceedings at Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, began with evidence leader Advocate Norman Arendse SC taking De Haas through her affidavit.
Throughout the morning, De Haas jumped around from an array of topics, before landing on the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), where she delivered a blistering critique.
An established violence monitor and long-time analyst of political violence, De Haas spoke candidly about alleged abuses, lack of transparency, and operational failures within the embattled unit.
De Haas revealed that many cases were arbitrarily designated as “political killings” without clear criteria.
“I have never known how they define the cases... I have heard they’ve taken dockets that have nothing, as far as I am aware, to do with politics,” she said.
“I have no idea what base they were working from, so it’s impossible to say what percentage of that you have to stop the universe - who are you describing, where are the dockets?”
ANC's Xola Nqola said that the committee has been disappointed by the testimony they heard on Tuesday by Dr Mary de Haas.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
Speaking of her testimony, Nqola said that the evidence De Haas presented, appears unreliable.
“She does not seem to understand the policies of the South African Police Service, nor does she demonstrate an understanding of why the PKTT was established.
“It will be difficult to take away any meaningful information from Dr De Haas, as her evidence is entirely unreliable and hearsay. That is what we intend to submit on the committee deliberations,” Nqola said.
The committee will be hearing the testimony by Deputy National Commissioner Tebello Mosikili on Wednesday, Head of Procurement General Molefe Fani on Thursday, and CFO Puleng Dimpane on Friday.
As of what they expect of Mosikili, Nqola said: “It will be hard for us to predict what the Deputy National Commissioner will say when he appears before the committee, but we do believe that he will provide insight into the functioning of the police service and to share his knowledge regarding the disbandment of the PKTT.”
theolin.tembo@inl.co.za