By Akani Nkuna
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has heard testimony from Gauteng Traffic Police (GTP) Chief Provincial Inspector Samuel Mashaba, who said he remains deeply distrustful of senior law enforcement officials, alleging that criminality is entrenched within the upper ranks of the police.
Mashaba was testifying on Friday about the controversial Aeroton drug bust of July 2021. Commissioners questioned why he conducted the operation without involving senior police officers trained to handle such investigations.
“DPCI are the ones we know are more captured. They are worse than the normal police because we know they are captured,” Mashaba told the commission, explaining why he chose not to alert senior officers.
He said many senior police officials have vested interests and maintained that disclosing the operation could have compromised it.
The inquiry is probing the circumstances surrounding the seizure of drugs worth an estimated R300 million in Aeroton, Johannesburg, in July 2021.
Mashaba has previously testified that he acted on information provided by Tumelo Nku, who alerted him to a truck travelling from Durban allegedly carrying drugs.
Mashaba said he decided to intercept the truck himself.
Evidence before the commission indicated that Nku had prior knowledge of the shipment before it left Durban for Johannesburg.
Under questioning, Mashaba admitted he lacked specialised training in drug-bust operations and was unfamiliar with some of the procedures required at such crime scenes.
Nevertheless, he insisted he did not call for backup because he feared the operation could be sabotaged.
Commissioners pointed out that traffic officers are not authorised to conduct drug-bust operations or execute searches at private properties.
Mashaba responded that the urgency and sensitivity of the matter, coupled with his mistrust of senior police officials, compelled him to proceed with the operation alongside Warrant Officer Marumo Magane.
Mashaba also defended his decision to remain at the scene after Major-General Feroz Khan arrived and assumed command of the operation.
He said he was reluctant to relinquish control of the crime scene and wanted to personally transport the 27 bags of suspected drugs from Alberton.
“We were not happy to hand over the crime scene because we were at work. Regardless of rank, there has to be respect for one another. Khan came and bullied us,” he said.
He further complained that he and other first responders were not consulted after senior officers took over the operation.
The commission also heard that Nku had given Mashaba between R20,000 and R50,000 over several years, establishing what commissioners described as a transactional relationship.
Mashaba did not specify the purpose of the payments.
Commissioners stressed that, regardless of his concerns about corruption and vested interests within the police, protocol required him to hand over the crime scene to Khan and other senior officers who had the legal authority to manage the investigation.
In a pointed exchange, commissioner Baloyi suggested that the evidence presented before the inquiry indicated Mashaba himself may have been involved in unlawful conduct.
“All the evidence indicates that you are part of a network of criminals who deal in illegal activities that include drug trafficking, arrests of people without proper authorisation, spying on people’s vehicles and inquiring with investigating officers about exhibits because Mr Nku wants that,” Baloyi said.
INSIDE POLITICS
