Johnathan Paoli
Suspended SAPS deputy national commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, Witness G, Sergeant Fannie Nkosi and North West businessman Brown Mogotsi have been referred for immediate investigations into possible criminal conduct by the Madlanga Commission.
The commission also recommended disciplinary proceedings against the relevant police officials and said criminal proceedings should be instituted against any of the four if investigators uncover sufficient evidence of criminal conduct.
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The Presidency said on Thursday that President Cyril Ramaphosa had noted the recommendations and referrals contained in the commission’s second interim report, which was submitted to him on 29 May.
“The report revisits the recommendations and referrals made in the First Interim Report in respect of the South African Police Service (SAPS) based on prima facie evidence and, with one exception, confirms these recommendations now that the relevant implicated parties have appeared before the Commission to give evidence,” Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said.
“The report also sets out new recommendations and referrals made by the Commission on the basis of evidence heard since the start of 2026,” Magwenya added.
Sibiya is the suspended SAPS deputy national commissioner responsible for crime detection and has been among the senior police officials implicated in allegations being examined by the commission.
Nkosi is a suspended sergeant attached to the SAPS Organised Crime Unit and has emerged as a central figure in evidence concerning alleged links between police officers, senior officials and suspected criminal networks.
He is also facing several criminal cases, including charges of theft, defeating or obstructing the course of justice and the unlawful possession of ammunition and explosives. Some of the charges followed investigations and searches conducted by the task team established to act on the commission’s referrals.
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Mogotsi is a North West businessman and self-proclaimed political fixer who has claimed to have operated as a Crime Intelligence contact agent.
Parliament’s ad hoc committee previously questioned him about his business interests, sources of income and alleged links to Crime Intelligence structures.
Magwenya said the commission further recommended that the Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence, or another official with the necessary authority, immediately investigate an alleged off-the-books Crime Intelligence operation involving Mogotsi and Witness G.
The recommendations were made in line with clauses 10.4 and 12 of the commission’s terms of reference.
Clause 10.4 allows the commission to refer matters for immediate criminal investigation and an urgent decision on whether prosecution should follow, while clause 12 allows it to refer matters for prosecution, further investigation or a separate inquiry.
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The latest referrals will form part of the work of the SAPS Commission Recommendations Investigation Task Team established following the first interim report to investigate people identified by the commission as a matter of urgency.
The commission was established to investigate allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system following allegations made publicly by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on 6 July 2025.
Its terms of reference include investigating the alleged infiltration of criminal syndicates into law enforcement agencies, intelligence structures, prosecuting authorities, the judiciary and correctional services.
Witness G has been described during the commission’s proceedings as a Crime Intelligence officer involved in working with police informers and is alleged to have acted as Mogotsi’s handler.
In March, Witness G’s attorney, Tshepo Matlala, applied for protective measures, asking that the witness be allowed to testify remotely and off camera because of concerns that revealing the witness’s identity could place the witness and others in danger.
Matlala also asked the commission to consider using voice-altering technology if it was available.
The commission ruled on 24 April that Witness G could testify remotely and off screen, with an audio feed available to the public, while particularly sensitive parts of the evidence would be heard in camera.
However, when Witness G began testifying on 4 May, the witness was unable to answer several questions publicly or read portions of an affidavit without risking the disclosure of identifying information.
Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga subsequently withdrew the earlier arrangement and ordered that the remainder of the evidence be heard fully in camera, barring the public and media from the proceedings.
Before the hearing moved fully behind closed doors, Witness G confirmed having met Mogotsi’s legal representatives in November 2025, although much of the evidence concerning Mogotsi’s alleged relationship with Crime Intelligence was subsequently heard privately.
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Evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson indicated that the witness’s statement dealt with “suspicious deaths, apparent assassination attempts and the like”.
The sensitive nature of those issues contributed to the decision to hear the remainder of the evidence in camera because of the risk that public testimony could expose Witness G’s identity or reveal confidential Crime Intelligence information.
The commission’s final report is due to be submitted to Ramaphosa on 16 November 2026.
