By Johnathan Paoli
The high-stakes hearings of the Madlanga Commission will resume on Monday after a two-week adjournment — but without one of its key witnesses, Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo.
Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels confirmed that Khumalo would not testify and that the commission would hear an application for the testimonies to continue in camera.
“In view of the nature of the evidence to be presented when the hearings resume, the evidence leaders will apply for the hearings to be conducted in camera, in a closed session at which the media and members of the public will not be allowed. If the Commission grants the application, the hearings will then proceed in camera until further notice,” he said.
Khumalo’s absence has fueled growing speculation about his health and intensified intrigue around the corruption probe that has gripped the nation’s security establishment.
His testimony was abruptly halted on October 1 when he fell ill during his third day on the witness stand.
His evidence, which delves into alleged cartel infiltration of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Ministry of Police, is seen as pivotal to connecting gaps left in the explosive testimony of KwaZulu-Natal Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Khumalo testified that it was his view that the attempt to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) was due to the influence of a particular organised crime cartel over the ministry of police, as well as the South African police service, who mistakenly thought that the political killings task team was investigating the same cartel.
As the hearings prepare to restart at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College, Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels confirmed that Khumalo will not return to the stand this week.
The Madlanga Commission, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, is investigating allegations of criminality, corruption, and political interference within South Africa’s criminal justice system.
Established in July after Mkhwanazi’s explosive public allegations of political meddling, the inquiry has already exposed alleged links between senior police officials, politicians, and organised crime networks known collectively as the “Big Five cartel.”
However, the commission now finds itself in an increasingly sensitive phase.
Michaels announced that the evidence leaders intend to apply for Monday’s hearings to be held in camera, excluding both the media and the public.
The commission’s temporary shift toward secrecy has drawn both curiosity and concern, particularly given the swirl of rumours surrounding Khumalo’s health.
His illness, which struck just days after he implicated powerful business figures and political players, has prompted speculation that he may have been poisoned.
SAPS has rejected these claims, with National Commissioner Fannie Masemola assuring journalists that Khumalo “is improving and I am sure he will come by”.
SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe added: “We don’t know about that. Nothing suggests that. I am not aware of any claims.”
Khumalo’s incomplete testimony painted a disturbing picture of entrenched criminal networks operating inside state structures.
He identified businessmen Katiso “KT” Molefe and Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala as alleged ringleaders of the Big Five cartel, an organization accused of manipulating police operations, influencing political decisions, and benefiting from fraudulent tenders and narcotics trafficking.
Molefe, who appeared in the Johannesburg High Court on Friday, was granted R400,000 bail after being initially denied bail in the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court on attempted murder charges.
According to Khumalo, cartel-linked records indicate direct payments from Matlala to North West businessman Brown Mogotsi, a known associate of Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
While Mchunu first denied any association with Mogotsi, he later conceded under questioning that he knew him as a “comrade”.
Khumalo further alleged that some payments were used to fund African National Congress (ANC) events, indirectly benefiting Mchunu through his chief of staff, Cedrick Nkabinde.
Nkabinde’s Johannesburg home was raided on Thursday by heavily armed officers allegedly seeking him, an operation that left his brother injured.
On the same day, the home of suspended Deputy National Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya was also raided, deepening fears of internal power struggles within SAPS.
Sibiya, accused of pushing for the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team, has claimed he feels “under siege” following the confiscation of his electronic devices.
The commission’s return is expected to intensify the political and legal storm surrounding the police ministry.
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