'Gifts' from a lover and 'botched' cocaine raids: Police inquiry grips South Africa

An probe into alleged constabulary corruption successful South Africa has had the federation captivated - overmuch similar the 2nd play of a palmy Netflix transgression drama.

The "second season" of this enquiry has conscionable wrapped up - with different interim study connected the proceedings handed implicit to President Cyril Ramaphosa connected Friday.

Like the archetypal interim study from the Madlanga Commission, it was not made public, though the contents are apt to beryllium reasonably explosive - if the nationalist hearings are thing to spell by.

Before the 3rd and last signifier gets nether mode adjacent period - aka "season three" - present are immoderate eye-catching moments from the past 64 days of hearings that saw 32 witnesses testifying.

Brazilian butt assistance denial

In February, elder constabulary serviceman Brig Rachel Matjeng appeared earlier the commission, which is named aft retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga who is heading the inquiry.

She was determination arsenic she had overseen a tender awarded successful 2024 to arguable businessman Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala's institution Medicare24 Tshwane District, which was meant to supply wellness services to the police.

The declaration was cancelled a twelvemonth aboriginal and since past a twelve elder constabulary officers, including Matjeng, person been formally charged implicit their relation successful awarding the contract. None of them person yet been asked to plead successful court.

In her grounds to the commission, Matjeng denied receiving kickbacks from Matlala - and alternatively alleged that the brace were successful an on-off romanticist narration that lasted until his apprehension past twelvemonth and that helium had lavished her with gifts.

One of these presents were shots of the weight-loss cause Ozempic, which she had asked her "boyfriend" to root for her.

Matjeng said she had not been bribed with a Brazilian butt assistance (BBL), arsenic had been alleged online, telling the commission: "So, for me, from my fellow [Matlala], I lone inquire for Ozempic, dissimilar those that inquire for BBL (sic)".

Matlala himself has yet to look earlier the commission.

He was named successful grounds past twelvemonth from the constabulary transgression quality brag arsenic 1 of the main figures successful an alleged drug-trafficking and transgression cartel, known arsenic the Big Five, that allegedly besides carried retired declaration killings, cross-border hijackings and kidnappings.

Matlala is presently successful custody facing 25 transgression charges, among them attempted murder. He has denied each the charges against him.

It is believed that helium volition marque a much-anticipated quality - to respond to allegations made against him - during the last limb of the commission's hearings.

Another cardinal absorption of the Madlanga Commission has been the handling of 2 large cause operations that occurred conscionable a period isolated successful 2021.

One was successful the southbound of the larboard metropolis of Durban successful June that twelvemonth and different occurred successful Johannesburg a period later.

In the first, constabulary intercepted 541kg of cocaine, hidden successful a shipping instrumentality carrying carnal bony meal, worthy much than 200m rand ($12m; £9m). Five months aboriginal the confiscated drugs were stolen from a poorly secured gathering owned by the police's elite unit, the Hawks, successful what was believed to beryllium an wrong job.

Senior Hawks authoritative Maj-Gen Hendrik Flynn elaborate to the enquiry a bid of missteps by officers successful the lead-up to the theft.

These included a nonaccomplishment to cod DNA oregon fingerprint samples from the country and the determination to store the drugs astatine a gathering that lacked due information contempt the availability of safer ones person to constabulary locations.

"I americium of the presumption that it is nary coincidence and that the series of events is indeed... by design," Flynn said.

Another elder Hawks official, Lt Col Nkoana Sebola, told the committee that circumstances astir the 2nd seizure - 700kg of cocaine worthy an estimated $17.3m - from a warehouse successful an concern suburb successful confederate Johannesburg successful July 2021 were besides suspicious.

The drugs had been hidden wrong achromatic bags among lorry parts being imported for a well-known transport company. The instrumentality had besides travel successful via Durban's harbour.

Sebola said helium believed the archetypal officers connected the country were carrying retired a heist arsenic they were moving extracurricular their jurisdiction.

One of them, Marumo Magane, an office-bound analytics serviceman with nary acquisition successful investigative enactment oregon handling cause busts, told the committee that helium had been called to assistance astatine the country by a elder postulation serviceman - who was besides unqualified to grip cause busts but said helium had received a tip-off.

The committee heard however some officials entered the premises of a logistics institution successful the eastbound of Johannesburg without a hunt warrant.

Accompanied by an alleged informant, Magane said they asked an worker to unfastened the instrumentality truthful they could "verify the information".

But they were told to hold until the instrumentality was delivered to its last destination successful confederate Johannesburg, wherever Magane past ordered the bags of drugs beryllium unloaded connected to the backmost of his lorry.

Suspicious unit astatine that warehouse called the section constabulary and aboriginal the Hawks investigating serviceman arrived connected the scene.

Magane, who did not telephone successful the constabulary portion liable for processing transgression scenes, repeated during his grounds that helium had nary volition of stealing the drugs. The postulation serviceman is yet to look earlier the commission.

But Magane did admit to a bid of blunders successful his handling of the scene, including tampering with exhibits and grounds and loading the drugs connected to his police-issued vehicle.

Madlanga enactment it to Magane: "You were clueless, and you knew that you were clueless."

The hapless analytics serviceman replied: "That is correct, commissioner."

He and respective others were arrested for their relation successful the botched operation, but the charges were dropped successful 2022 arsenic prosecutors saw "no prospects of success".

The enquiry besides heard however the confiscated haul was taken to a forensic subject laboratory to beryllium stored and wherever it was discovered successful February 2025 that 136kg of the cocaine had disappeared.

Alleged constabulary informant and governmental fixer Oupa "Brown" Mogotsi archetypal appeared earlier the enquiry successful November arsenic helium is alleged to beryllium 1 of the cardinal figures who facilitated the infiltration of the constabulary unit by corrupt individuals. He denies the allegations.

Beforehand, Mogotsi, a businessman and erstwhile subordinate of the African National Congress (ANC) party, said helium had survived an assassination attempt.

"I ran for my life," helium told the committee during his archetypal appearance, saying his car had travel nether occurrence successful an country eastbound of Johannesburg. Police opened an probe into the lawsuit and seized the vehicle.

During his November grounds helium went connected to marque melodramatic claims, which helium aboriginal retracted, that Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi - the constabulary whistleblower whose explosive allegations led to President Ramaphosa mounting up the Madlanga Commission - and the Zulu king were CIA spies.

The businessman was owed to instrumentality to the committee successful March, but this was postponed aft saying helium was excessively sick to appear.

Justice Madlanga stated that his sick enactment was "useless" and Mogotsi reluctantly returned for cross-examination successful May.

However, helium archetypal tried to get Matthew Chaskalson, the lawyer liable for presenting grounds to the commission, removed for perceived bias, saying helium was trying to get him to implicate different witness.

When his bid was dismissed, Mogotsi was intelligibly furious and refused to reply galore of the questions enactment to him implicit fears helium mightiness incriminate himself.

In an ironic twist of fate, soon aft giving his grounds helium was arrested by a dedicated constabulary portion acceptable up earlier this twelvemonth to analyse referrals and grounds arising from the inquiry.

Known arsenic the Commission's Recommendations Task Team (CRTT), it has been liable for 5 high-profile arrests implicit the past fewer months, though galore of them person not been straight related to grounds from the inquiry.

Mogotsi appeared successful tribunal accused of faking the effort connected his life. Despite vehement denials that helium staged the hit, helium faces a litany of charges related to the incidental - and is presently applying for bail.

The last Madlanga Commission study is owed successful August - and that 1 is expected to beryllium made public.