Ad-hoc committee questions coherence of claims by mechanical engineer of cybercrime

By Johnathan Paoli

Parliament’s ad-hoc committee sharply questioned the credibility, coherence, and evidentiary basis of testimony delivered on Wednesday by mechanical engineer Pheladi Machola, who described herself as a long-term cybercrime victim.

Members repeatedly characterised her submission as “all over the place” and lacking verifiable evidence, while insisting they could only act on properly tested material rather than unsubstantiated allegations.

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Machola, who has worked in the mining sector and previously lived in the Northern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, appeared before the committee after requesting to do so anonymously.

However, once she entered the chamber, she opted to testify in person.

Her appearance followed years of unsuccessful attempts, she said, to obtain progress updates on a cybercrime case she opened in Postmasburg in 2021.

Committee members immediately raised concerns about the procedural and evidentiary framework of her testimony.

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