Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi denies requesting police dockets, calls claims "misleading
via The Citizen2 min read
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has denied claims that he requested police dockets, including sensitive cases and those with arrest warrants, calling the allegations "misleading." His denial follows testimony by suspended Sedibeng District Commissioner Brigadier Mbangwa Nkhwashu at the Madlanga commission. Nkhwashu testified about his relationship with murder-accused businessman Katiso 'KT' Molefe and stated he was instructed to collect dockets with J50 warrants of arrest to submit them to Deputy Provincial Commissioner of Detective Services, Major General Dumisani Khumalo. Nkhwashu claimed General Khumalo was to oversee investigations as directed by Premier Lesufi, and these instructions applied to many dockets across Gauteng. Lesufi responded on Friday night, asserting he never requested police dockets and found Nkhwashu's testimony "baffling and misleading." He cited a letter from Gauteng Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General DT Mthombeni, which he says confirms it was the provincial commissioner, not the premier, who requested the dockets. The letter also reportedly confirms that coordinating wanted suspects and processing J50 warrants falls under the mandate of the Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Crime Detection, Major General Khumalo, in consultation with Crime Intelligence. Lesufi has asked Nkhwashu to provide a written copy of the alleged directive and suggested Nkhwashu might be confusing internal police directives with briefings on crime prevention strategie
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