The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it was concerned about ongoing delays in finalising the terms of reference for Parliament’s ad hoc committee into the allegations raised by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Parliament established the committee after Mkhwanazi claimed corruption, political interference and malfeasance within the South African Police Service (Saps).

In June, Mkhwanazi accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of unilaterally disbanding the Political Killings Task Team and redirecting 121 active investigation dockets to the Office of National Deputy Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, where they have allegedly been neutralised.

The committee held its first meeting earlier this month, where it agreed that the draft terms of reference guiding its work should be finalised by August 8.

DA spokesperson on Police Ian Cameron pointed to a time crunch for Parliament.

“…every day lost to procedural wrangling is a day that the rot inside the South African Police Service continues unchecked. The allegations involve political interference, the sabotage of specialist task teams, the removal of case dockets, and collusion with organised crime,” he said.

He said the longer Parliament delayed, the more justice was denied to victims of crime and the communities living under the weight of “Saps capture”.

The DA has stated that the terms of reference must be comprehensive and empower the committee to get to the truth.

Cameron said the DA wanted the committee to name implicated individuals and provide timelines and evidence relating to Mkhwanzi's claims of case docket removals, the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team, and interference in Crime Intelligence.

The DA wants the committee to publicly identify implicated Saps leadership, make recommendations for disciplinary action, or removal, and immediately refer all criminal findings to the National Prosecuting Authority, Special Investigating Unit, Independent Police Investigative Directorate and other relevant bodies.

Cameron claimed that some political parties were reluctant to probe the role unions could have played in protecting compromised Saps officers.

He said avoiding this issue risked weakening the credibility of the inquiry before it began.

“The DA is ready to start. We want this committee to hear evidence without delay, to name the implicated, and to begin the urgent work of restoring integrity to Saps. South Africans expect action, not excuses,” he said.