Cape Town – Former acting South African Police Service (SAPS) national commissioner Khomotso Phahlane has told Parliament that his suspension and removal from office were irrational, unlawful, and politically motivated.
He appeared before the Ad Hoc Committee investigating criminality, corruption, and political interference in the justice system on Tuesday.
Phahlane, who served as acting national commissioner from October 2015 until June 2017, said he was first asked to “step aside” on 1 June 2017 by then Police Minister Fikile Mbalula amid media scrutiny and an Independent Police Investigative Directorate inquiry.
He described travelling to Cape Town for a meeting with the minister, waiting over three hours, and receiving instructions in a meeting that lasted less than five minutes.
Former Police Commissioner Khomotso Phahlane tells the #AdHocCommittee that then Police Minister Fikile Mbalula called him to Cape Town, waited hours, and in a brief meeting asked him to step aside due to negative media coverage.
Mbalula gave no clear guidance, simply telling… pic.twitter.com/ZF5TTXxunF
— MDN NEWS (@MDNnewss) January 14, 2026
Phahlane agreed to step aside, saying he was “not glued to any position,” but claimed he only received a formal suspension notice a week later.
“I was asked to travel to Cape Town for a meeting with the minister,” he said.
“The minister asked in view of all this negativity in the media, is it not better for you step aside? I agreed because I am not glued to any position. I accepted the position of acting national commissioner from the president (Jacob Zuma) knowing members of SAPS can be deployed anywhere at any given time as long as they are to serve the people of the Republic.,” Phahlane said.
He emphasised that the minister had no legal authority to remove him, as such powers rest constitutionally with the president.
Phahlane also outlined his career, noting steady progression through SAPS ranks, promotion to senior management in 2001, and attaining the rank of lieutenant-general in 2007.
He rejected claims that his appointment was questionable, stressing that he was not a “fly-by-night cop” and had been appointed acting national commissioner by Zuma.
The former commissioner detailed alleged flaws in the disciplinary processes he faced.
Arrested and charged with fraud and corruption in February 2018, Phahlane said the original 11 charges were “concocted,” and the remaining charges were pursued through Regulation 9, an “expeditious process” intended for clear-cut misconduct.
He argued that this regulation was misused to enable summary dismissal, and that he was never given an opportunity to respond properly.
Phahlane’s employment ended in July 2020, with the Labour Court later upholding his dismissal in October 2023, citing violations of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) during his tenure as head of forensic services.
The court found that SAPS incurred R24.4 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure from a R46-million procurement project.
Despite this, Phahlane continues to contest his dismissal, maintaining that both disciplinary processes were unlawful and that he should have faced a fitness-to-hold-office inquiry instead. He has taken his case to the Labour Appeal Court, expecting a ruling imminently.
The Ad Hoc Committee’s inquiry also examines broader allegations, including the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team, a moratorium on Crime Intelligence vacancies, political interference, and alleged corrupt links between SAPS leadership and criminal networks.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
