The Political Killings Task Team burned through about R435 million of taxpayer cash since getting started back in 2018, according to the police finance chief who testified at a parliamentary hearing. Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane broke down the spending and said most went to overtime pay plus travel costs because team members get pulled from different provinces and need hotels and meals. She also mentioned that overtime claims for this year are still getting processed.
The committee is looking into whether senior officials interfered with police work to protect criminals, especially after the task team got shut down. Some people are wondering if all that money actually did anything since political murders are still happening a lot in places like KwaZulu-Natal. Dimpane said her internal notes about costs got twisted around and used as an excuse to disband the unit, even though she never recommended that.
The committee is looking into whether senior officials interfered with police work to protect criminals, especially after the task team got shut down. Some people are wondering if all that money actually did anything since political murders are still happening a lot in places like KwaZulu-Natal. Dimpane said her internal notes about costs got twisted around and used as an excuse to disband the unit, even though she never recommended that.
