149 dead but no police convicted over task team shootings

By Palesa Matlala

• Independent Police Investigative Directorate deputy Len John says 149 people died during 77 KwaZulu-Natal task team operations investigated by the police watchdog.

• John accused task team members of targeting suspects for killing, but admitted no police officer has yet been convicted in the 77 cases.

A police watchdog investigator has made explosive claims about a KwaZulu-Natal police task team linked to the deaths of 149 people.

But despite investigations into 77 cases, not one police officer has been convicted.

Independent Police Investigative Directorate deputy Len John made the admission while testifying before the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday.

His evidence focused on deadly operations carried out by the KwaZulu-Natal police task team.

Co-Commissioner Sesi Baloyi asked John how many of the 77 cases had been completed with police officers found guilty.

“Nothing as yet, commissioner,” John replied.

The admission came after John made serious claims about how some task team operations were carried out.

He said the Independent Police Investigative Directorate investigated more than 300 cases between 1 April 2023 and 31 May 2026.

Among them were 77 cases involving the deaths of 149 people during task team operations.

John claimed police often reported that suspects had opened fire first, forcing officers to return fire.

But he told the commission that investigators had found cases where the evidence did not support the police version.

“All suspects and occupants present when the shooting takes place are killed by the Task Team, leaving no witnesses to the operation other than the members of the Task Team itself,” John testified.

He also raised questions about the timing of some operations.

John said operations were often planned between 11pm and 3am, when fewer people were likely to be around to witness what happened.

Another concern was the number of guns recovered after shootings.

John told the commission that in most cases, police recovered fewer firearms than the number of people who had been killed.

His evidence also raised questions about whether some of those killed had been properly linked to the crimes police were investigating.

Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga questioned John about the links between those who died and cash in transit robbery cases.

John said the police case files contained references to suspects’ names, but he questioned how those links had been established.

“In all 77, there is a reference to suspects’ names in the dockets. How does the task team link those unknown people in the cash-in-transit? There is no linkage there,” he said.

John told the commission that some cases had been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

He said investigators could also use crime scene reconstruction to test police claims about how shootings happened, including claims that suspects fired first.

John then made one of his strongest accusations against the task team.

He claimed officers sometimes failed to properly investigate or arrest suspects before deadly force was used.

“They go out to kill,” John said.

However, his claims have not been finally determined and the fact that no officers have been convicted remains an important part of the evidence before the commission.

John identified Lieutenant Colonel Deena Govender as the provincial task team leader.

He also told the commission that KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was often present at shooting scenes and later spoke publicly about some incidents.

John suggested that Mkhwanazi could give the commission more information about how the task team was formed and how it operates.

The testimony has placed the team’s operations firmly under the spotlight.

It has also left the commission with two major issues to examine: John’s serious allegations about the shootings and the fact that investigations into the 77 cases have so far resulted in no police officer being convicted.

John has now completed his testimony before the commission.

Pictured above: Independent Police Investigative Directorate deputy Len John, who testified about 77 cases involving 149 deaths during KwaZulu-Natal police task team operations.

Image source: File.