PRETORIA - The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into allegations of corruption and interference in the police is under way.
KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi took the stand as the first witness.
At the centre of the inquiry are his claims that the Political Killings Task Team was unlawfully disbanded.
Mkhwanazi has accused senior politicians and police of shielding criminal networks and blocking probes.
When asked about the explosive July briefing, Mkhwanazi said he wanted to inform the public about the level of challenges faced by the SAPS.
"The challenges we face in relation to the work we do as police, which involve criminality, and the political interference on the work that we do as the police, which will also include corruption within the value chain of the justice system, which we are part of as law enforcement," he said.
He said the briefing was a product of collaborative efforts of various units within the SAPS who compiled the document.
"It is a reflection of the common concerns that we share as colleagues in different ranks within the service, which made us have a common desire for these problems to be resolved," he said.
Mkhwanazi said the country's criminal justice system faces the real risk of total collapse.
He says his remarks on the 6th of July highlighted the alleged rot in an attempt to address it.
"It has been my aim that I want to demonstrate that the criminal justice system has been subject to a continuous threat as well as sabotage, which has been with us over an extended period, to a point where we believe it is at real risk of a total collapse if nothing is done," he said.
"Therefore, urgent and effective interventions are required in order to avert this outcome."