Former acting police commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane appeared before the TRC Cases Inquiry on Thursday he detailed some of the legislative framework governing the Hawks as an institution.
Former acting national police commissioner, Lieutenant General Kgomotso Phahlane, has clarified his role as the top cop, telling the TRC Cases Inquiry that in all his positions with the State, he never dealt with the prosecution of TRC matters nor any of the inquests arising from TRC matters during his tenure.
Phahlane was appearing before the commission on Thursday morning not as an implicated person, but to assist the commission in finding clarity, indicating that while the Independent Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigations (DPCI / Hawks), is part of the South African Police Service, it remains an independent operation under the leadership of the Hawks head of institution.
He detailed the operational dynamics of his position, stating, "None of the positions I occupied in SAPS required my direct involvement in the investigations of TRC cases or exercising oversight."
Phahlane, who occupied the position from October 15, 2015 to June 1, 2017, also spoke of the turbulence that followed the Polokwane Conference of 2007, which, according to him, created an atmosphere of instability within the higher echelons of the SAPS.
