‘I am in agony’: Paul O’Sullivan's testimony cut short in Parliament
Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan during his appearance before Parliament’s ad hoc committee, where his testimony over two days included allegations about senior police officials and political figures before proceedings were adjourned.
Image: Picture Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers
The testimony of former police reservist and forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan was cut short shortly after 7 pm on Wednesday after he complained of excruciating pain, prompting Parliament’s ad hoc committee to adjourn proceedings.
O’Sullivan, who earlier told the inquiry that he had survived multiple attempts on his life and had previously been shot, said he was experiencing severe pain linked to the reconstruction of his spinal cord.
Following consultations among Members of Parliament, committee chairperson, Soviet Lekganyane, adjourned the sitting.
“We have established a very good relationship with the witness over the two days he has been with us, and that relationship has been cemented. I am confident that the engagements we have had with you will continue, and that we will find a suitable date that is comfortable for all of us,” Lekganyane said.
A new date will be arranged in consultation with O’Sullivan’s legal team. O’Sullivan indicated he would be travelling overseas for business commitments.
Explosive first day
O’Sullivan began his testimony on Tuesday, where he made sweeping allegations against senior police leadership.
He described KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola and Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo as “rogue”, accusing them of conduct warranting imprisonment.
He also revisited his long-running campaign against former national commissioner Jackie Selebi, outlining how his investigations contributed to Selebi’s arrest and eventual 15-year prison sentence in 2010.
Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi
Image: File
O’Sullivan further touched on the bitter political feud between former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, suggesting that law enforcement structures were used during that period in a manner aimed at influencing political outcomes ahead of the ANC’s pivotal 2007 Polokwane conference.
He also denied allegations that he acted as a foreign agent, telling the committee that despite holding Irish, British and South African citizenship, his loyalty was to South Africa.
Second day: AfriForum and commissioner appointment claims
On Wednesday, MPs intensified their questioning.
O’Sullivan confirmed that he is a member of AfriForum when pressed about his affiliations. He also addressed his 2017 arrest, maintaining he had been visiting his attorney at the time and not meeting with AfriForum.
Under questioning from ANC MP Khusela Diko, O’Sullivan disclosed that then presidential adviser Bejani Chauke had approached him for informal input during the process of appointing a permanent national police commissioner following the removal of General Khehla Sitole in 2022.
He said Chauke provided him with a shortlist of about eight names and that his organisation, Forensics for Justice, conducted lifestyle audits on the candidates.
“My recommendation was that there were six names on the list that would have been unsuitable for appointment because of their lifestyles,” O’Sullivan told the committee.
Sitole’s tenure ended in early 2022 following a legal dispute with President Cyril Ramaphosa over his suspension and fitness to hold office. He was replaced on 31 March 2022 by General Fannie Masemola.
11 February 2026. Cape Town. Private investigator Paul O’Sullivan testifies befo Private investigator Paul O’Sullivan
Image: Henk Kruger
O’Sullivan also claimed that a statement presented by Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi on 6 July last year had been prepared on a computer in Pretoria, raising further questions about internal dynamics within SAPS.
The ad hoc committee is probing allegations of interference, corruption and misconduct within the South African Police Service and the broader law enforcement apparatus. O’Sullivan’s testimony is expected to resume at a later date.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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