By Johnathan Paoli
A Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officer has told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that he abandoned a pursuit of a suspicious Ford Ranger in July 2025 after being instructed to do so by Superintendent Phineas Manyama, without being given a reason.
Testifying on Friday, Constable Malibongwe Michael Cutalele, who is attached to the JMPD’s Tactical Response Unit (TRU), said he followed Manyama’s instruction because it was difficult to disobey a senior officer, only realising later that something might have been improper.
“This industry is not an easy one, especially if the instruction comes from someone who’s above. This department, if ever you are instructed to do something, you just do it and then you’ll complain later,” he said.
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Cutalele was testifying about an incident on 3 July last year, when he and two colleagues were patrolling the M1 South towards Gold Reef City in an unmarked JMPD vehicle.
He said they noticed a black Ford Ranger with darkly tinted windows taking an off-ramp without indicating, prompting them to follow it because they suspected the occupants might be involved in criminal activity.
The vehicle initially stopped at a McDonald’s parking lot before driving to Freeway Toyota car dealership. The officers continued monitoring it before following it towards Southgate Mall.
Cutalele said they eventually activated their blue lights and siren, signalling the driver to pull over. However, the vehicle continued moving slowly before speeding away.
The officers pursued the vehicle, which allegedly drove recklessly and went through a red traffic light.
Cutalele said they requested assistance from the South African Police Service (SAPS) reaction channel, which dispatched a helicopter to help with the pursuit.
While the helicopter was attempting to establish which vehicle the officers were chasing, Cutalele received a telephone call from Manyama.
“He asked me what I was doing. I dropped his call because we were in the middle of a chase and I needed to make contact with SAPS,” he said.
Manyama called again and allegedly shouted at him, questioning why the officers were pursuing the vehicle and what they wanted from its occupants.
“He repeated his question. He asked me what we wanted from the occupants of the vehicle that we were chasing. He instructed us to abandon the chase and meet him at Total Petrol Station on R82 near Lido Hotel,” Cutalele said.
He said they immediately abandoned the pursuit and went to meet Manyama, who told them he was unhappy with their conduct but did not explain why they should not have continued chasing the vehicle.
Commission chair Mbuyiseli Madlanga questioned why Cutalele had not asked Manyama to explain his instruction or at least informed the helicopter and SAPS officers that the pursuit had been called off.
Cutalele admitted that he had not thought about informing the officers assisting them.
“I only thought of obeying the instructions from my superintendent,” he said.
He explained that challenging Manyama could have consequences for his position within the unit.
“It would have been very difficult, Commissioner. Sometimes you can even be taken out of the unit. It’s not an easy thing to do,” he said.
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Cutalele also described Manyama as someone who was difficult to question because of his manner of addressing officers.
“He’s one of those people who are very, very loud, especially when he’s addressing you. Whether it is a laughing matter or anything, he’s always shouting. So you would never get a chance to ask anything,” he said.
He told the commission that Manyama had previously reprimanded JMPD officers after they stopped a vehicle belonging to the city’s mayor, explaining that politicians often objected to being stopped.
Cutalele said this experience had influenced his decision to comply with Manyama’s instruction during the Ford Ranger pursuit.
The officer said he later understood that something was potentially improper about the instruction, but initially believed Manyama might have information about the incident that they did not have.
He said his colleagues, Constables T.P. Mehala and T.T. Moloko, subsequently lodged a grievance against Manyama.
But he was not part of the complaint and did not know what had happened to it.
Evidence leader Thabang Pooe placed their statements on record, while confirming that they largely supported Cutalele’s account.
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi also questioned Cutalele about a statement by one of his colleagues indicating that Manyama had expressed concern for the officers’ safety.
Cutalele confirmed that Manyama had mentioned this but said he had not explained what he meant.
He also denied that Manyama had suggested he knew who was inside the Ford Ranger.
Explaining why the officers had initially become suspicious of the vehicle, Cutalele said Ford Rangers were frequently associated with criminal activity.
He said the tinted windows and the driver’s failure to indicate before taking the off-ramp had prompted them to investigate further.
The commission also heard that complaints against Manyama were abandoned after his retirement from the JMPD, according to evidence previously given by Superintendent Elmarie De Beer of Internal Affairs.
The commission continues.
