Former ANC Pietermaritzburg councilor Musawenkosi Mchunu (seen her giving an interview to a national broadcaster) was murdered in 2018 and the Political Killings Task Team arrested six people in connection with the crime.
Image: Supplied
Without the existence of the police’s Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), six suspects in the murder of prominent former ANC councillor Musawenkosi Mchunu in Pietermaritzburg would still be at large, said Mchunu’s friend, Themba Ngubane.
Mchunu, known as Qashana, was killed in 2018 during the height of tension among members of different factions in the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal.
His murder was one of the cases that were investigated by the PKTT.
While at Mchunu’s home in KwaPata to pay tribute to his family a few days after the murder, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the establishment of a law enforcement Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to intervene in investigating political killings that had swept across the province.
The committee was made up of ministers of State Security, Defence, Justice, Correctional Services, and Police.
This was the birth of the PKTT which since 2018, has investigated 321 dockets linked to political killings in the province.
Before Mchunu’s murder, many other politicians, including party members of the ANC, IFP, and NFP, had been killed in KwaZulu-Natal, but perpetrators had rarely been brought to justice.
The murder of former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa in 2017 was among the cases investigated by the PKTT, and their investigations led to the hitman, Sbusiso Ncengwa, being handed a 25 year sentence in July.
Seven years after he was killed, Mchunu’s murder was mentioned at both the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and Ad-Hoc Committee, which are both investigating KwaZulu-Natal police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s allegations of political interference in the work of the police.
Mkhwanazi claims that it was political interference that led to the unjustified disbandment of the PKTT on 31 December, 2024 by now suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
In July, Mkhwanazi held a press conference where he made explosive allegations that organised crime groups have penetrated the upper echelons of President Cyril Ramaphosa's administration and accused accuse Senzo Mchunu of having ties to criminal gangs.
Mkhwanazi alleged that the PKTT was disbanded to protect certain businessmen, including Brown Mogotsi and Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who are allegedly leaders of major drug cartels, from being investigated by the task team in Gauteng.
Ramaphosa suspended Mchunu, appointed Professor Firoz Cachalia as acting minister and the decision to disband the task team was reversed.
When he was killed, Musawenkosi Mchunu was one of Ramaphosa’s supporters who were involved in a hostile relationship with the backers of Jacob Zuma, who had just been recalled by the ANC and then resigned as President.
“This task team played an important role in Pietermaritzburg, I was surprised to hear that it had been disbanded, without many of the cases being resolved.
“You could see that this was political interference (in the disbandment), to protect certain people,” said Ngubane.
The suspects in Mchunu’s murder were former Msunduzi Municipality ward 10 councillor, Thokozani Gambu, his cousin Gift Zungu, Ayanda Ngubane, former ANC branch secretary Sifiso Mbelu, and Skhanyiso and Mlungisi Zimu.
The Pietermaritzburg High Court granted the alleged killers bail of R10,000 each in August 2019 and the trial is ongoing.
Zungu is the son of former Umgungundlovu deputy mayor Thandiwe “Fucwana” Zungu.
Mchunu was shot 15 times at his home in KwaPata in 2018.
Ngubane said the task team also investigated the murder of SACP and ANC activist Mhlengi Khumalo.
When asked to comment on the delays in finalising Mchunu’s murder trial, Ngubane blamed the justice system.
“The justice system is not doing what it should be doing because the suspects were arrested,” he said.
Ngubane said some of their own branch leaders were among the accused in Mchunu’s murder.
He said he had lost track of the trial because of the delays.
“I heard Mkhwanazi telling the Madlanga Commission that the trial will be heard in court early next year.
“I had stopped following the trial, but the accused live in the area ,” said Ngubane.
Ngubane said factionalism in the branch was now under control “because we understand each other”.
“Tensions are bad at the regional level,” he said.
A year before the task team was formed, another ANC activist, Vusumuzi Sibiya, who was Mchunu’s close associate, was shot at while in his home but he managed to escape his attackers. His car was set alight.
An ANC activist in KwaPata said people still think about Musawenkosi Mchunu, although his murder trial had been 'forgotten in the community and among ANC comrades'.
Another ANC activist said people hardly talking about Mchunu's murder trial.
Mchunu’s brother, Bongumusa Mchunu, was approached for comment but said he would only do so after consulting with his family.
bongani.hans@inl.co.za