Some Ad hoc commitee members are Mkhwanazi supporters: O’Sullivan

Controversial forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan on Wednesday questioned the impartiality of members of Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption and criminality within the criminal justice system. The committee was established by Parliament last year to probe claims by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that MPs, members of the judiciary, senior police officials and businesspeople were colluding with criminal syndicates to undermine police investigations. Amongst others, Mkhwanazi accused O’Sullivan of interfering in police matters.

On his second day of testimony at the committee on Wednesday, O’Sullivan told MPs that members of some political parties represented at the committee have declared their support for Mkhwananzi, even though his claims were yet to be tested. It was common cause, O’Sullivan said, that members of the MK Party, EFF and ActionSA were part of “the hands off General Mkhwanazi” campaign meant to boost the image of the KZN provincial police commissioner. When MK Party member of the committee, Sibonelo Nomvalo, challenged O’Sullivan to produce evidence that the three political parties were supporting Mkhwananzi, the forensic investigator asked the MK Party MP to distance the party from Mkhwanazi if indeed his organisation was not supporting him.

“Are you now saying you don’t support Mkhwananzi?” he said. O’Sullivan told the committee that there has been a campaign by some police generals to portray him as a criminal. There is a strategy to discredit the good work I have done in this country over the last 36 years. The Ad hoc committee, O’Sullivan said, had allowed “criminals to come here and testify against me”.