CAPE TOWN, 5 November 2025– Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has criticised the PKTT disbandment, saying it was ill-timed and unjustified given the country’s ongoing issues with political violence and corruption. He expressed concern that the move could exacerbate the situation ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
Speaking before Parliament’s ad hoc committee on police corruption, Cachalia said the decision to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) “made no sense” at a time when organised crime and political assassinations continue to plague South Africa.
“I couldn’t understand exactly what the reasons were for the disbandment of the task team,” Cachalia told the committee. “The problem of political killings is an ongoing one, and in the run-up to the local government elections, it is likely to deepen and become even worse.”
Cachalia added that the issue extends beyond the murder of politicians, highlighting the increasing number of whistleblowers who have been targeted. “There have been a number of whistleblowers who have been murdered over the years, and their killings point towards deepening corruption,” he said.
He also warned that criminal cartels were increasingly infiltrating public institutions and procurement systems, particularly within the health sector. According to Cachalia, this level of infiltration demonstrated how emboldened criminal networks had become, often acting with impunity.
“We need, on a national basis, to respond to this problem,” he said. “The involvement of cartels in our institutions, and their ability to assassinate people with no consequences, shows the urgency of coordinated national action.”
Cachalia called for the reinstatement of a national mechanism to combat political killings and ensure the protection of whistleblowers, describing it as vital for restoring public confidence in law enforcement and governance.
