National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza on Wednesday argued that holding a Parliamentary debate on the allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi would not be appropriate, as they remain unsubstantiated.

Instead, Didiza has assigned the portfolio committees on Police; and Justice and Constitutional Development; and the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence to urgently consider the explosive allegations made by Mkhwanazi, within the scope of their mandates.

Mkhwanazi over the weekend made allegation of corruption, political interference, and malfeasance, specifically accusing 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.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) is set to lay criminal charges against Mchunu on Thursday in light of the allegations made against him.

The DA and ActionSA on Monday wrote to Didiza, calling for an urgent debate in Parliament on corruption within the Saps.

The DA said violent crime could only be combatted with robust integrity management inside and out of the Saps.

ActionSA Member of Parliament Dereleen James said Parliament must intervene without delay, as responsibility could not rest solely with the Minister of Police or the President, who had presided over the escalation and deepening of this crisis.

Following Didiza’s request to the three committees, ActionSA said it believed this approach was “disjointed” and risked diminishing the seriousness and urgency of the issue.

“The allegations are clearly interrelated and fragmenting them across multiple committees will fail to provide the cohesive oversight required.

“The allegations raised by Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi cannot be meaningfully addressed in isolation. Referring different aspects of the matter to various committees will not produce the coordinated and effective oversight needed to fully uncover the truth,” stated ActionSA Parliamentary leader Athol Trollip.

He said his party was “troubled” by the decision to refer parts of the matter to the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence, which he said would render a crucial component of the investigation secretive.

“…this is inappropriate for a matter that demands transparency and public confidence in Parliament’s efforts to get to the bottom of serious allegations,” Trollip added.

ActionSA has written to Didiza, requesting a reconsideration of her position and for the establishment of a Joint Committee comprising all three relevant committees to interrogate the matter.

Trollip noted that this would provide the only coordinated and effective mechanism through which the seriousness of these allegations could be properly ventilated.