The sartorial semiotics of the police committee from gentlemen to ersatz revolutionaries

If there is one individual worth watching during marathon broadcasts of the ad-hoc committee into police graft it is chairperson Soviet Lekganyane.

Even his name conjures a hazy nostalgia for a long-lost USSR with snow, furry ushanka hats and the Cold War. Lekganyane is the former Limpopo secretary of the Young Communists League, then provincial secretary of the party before becoming the provincial secretary for the ANC in the province.

But before we get to the meat, can we just vote Lekganyane the best-dressed individual in the room. No, actually, in the country. This is one of those cases where the man wears the clothes and not the other way around.

Over and above this he has been a sterling chair of this crucial make-or-break ad-hoc committee, often conjuring the wise teacher he once was. And he is dealing here with nests of two-faced vipers everywhere.

Sartorial style

Lekganyane is seriously sartorially smart with an eye and flair for subtle style. One day it was a navy blue safari suit with a purple cravat. Then it was the lush blue Madiba-shirt followed by a smart black pin-striped suit and yellow tie.

The chairperson is a dead ringer for veteran actor John Kani with his chiskop and neatly trimmed goatee flecked with grey. 

EFF leader Julius Malema, known also for his fabulous civilian designer wardrobe, has backed himself into a corner as an MP wearing the same old cosplay red overalls from the old war days. 

Jacob Zuma’s MK party has opted for camouflage in this instance, not so that we can’t see them (isn’t that what camouflage is for?) but to stand out. 

Borrowing a look from Burkina Faso military leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who enjoys much love among those seeking a “straight-laced” strongman to take control, MK are letting you know where they stand in the trenches.

MK = EFF in the old days

Seated before Lekganyane are these same members of MK (trying to out-EFF circa 2013) and a now mature and humbled Malema, chuckling like an old uncle at MK members’ old style a-screaming and a-shouting.

Also read: Intelligence chief Imtiaz Fazel’s sudden suspension — between the brown stuff and the fan

On Thursday, 16 October 2025, Malema, who wrote the disruptor’s playbook, struck when MK MP Sibonelo Nomvalo raised his hand to ask a question during suspended Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu’s marathon testimony about the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).

Nomvalo wanted the chair to remind him of which question Mchunu was addressing, which prompted Malema to click on his microphone and say: “If you have got a concentration problem, it is not a collective problem.

“If you are challenged and the mind is feeling pain now, it is none of our problems. If you are partisan people with weak minds and weak concentration spans, it is the party’s problem. Listen, the minister is talking now,” he admonished MK.

Lekganyane immediately ruled Malema out of order over Nomvalo’s outraged cries that: “This is hooliganism, let us address that hooligan. We are not scared of the man.”

In a strong and fatherly tone the chairperson spoke directly to Nomvalo, informing him gently that “there is no way I will not allow you to speak. I am ruling that statement [Malema’s] out of order, it does not belong here. It is unfortunate that it had to be made.” 

“I withdraw it,” Malema said with a mischievous smile.

The chair’s apparent even-handedness calmed Nomvalo, who offered: “You have made a progressive ruling chair, that is why we have confidence in you.”

Camera hungry

Lekganyane, in a roundabout fashion, began riffing that Parliament’s camera team should stop focusing only on Mchunu and not forget to include members of the committee. 

“When we go for a long time without members being covered… I am just saying the camera must have fair coverage of the members so that they don’t become impatient,” he said, suggesting that some among us were just looking for attention more than anything else. 

While there was laughter all round it appeared to have whooshed over MK’s heads.

When Nomvalo asked the same question again, Lekganyane burst out laughing, quizzing him as to whether he really wanted senior counsel to repeat the question even after fellow committee members had already reminded him to listen. 

“You wanted a proper understanding, and they have assisted to bring you on board. Let’s allow the minister to continue.” 

Malema quickly slipped in a last dig in: “In case anyone needs help, I am here.” After the hot air was let out of the meeting room, Lekganyane steered the creaking ship forwards. Whether there is an iceberg up ahead is another question for another day. DM