By Johnathan Paoli
The Madlanga Commission on Thursday postponed indefinitely the testimony of key witness and alleged informant Tumelo Nku, citing serious security concerns.
“There are security concerns about Mr Nku. We cannot hear his testimony. The hearing of his testimony is being postponed indefinitely. An announcement will be made in due course when his testimony will resume and under what circumstances,” Commission chairman Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga said.
The commission had initially delayed the start of proceedings, citing unspecified administrative matters, before later suspending the day’s hearings altogether.
Following Madlanga’s announcement, commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels confirmed that the decision had been taken because of concerns surrounding Nku’s security, but declined to disclose further details.
“I don’t want to get into that detail. These are very serious security concerns and of course the safety of our witnesses is sacrosanct. I wouldn’t want to get into that detail, except to stress that this is a very extraordinary situation,” Michaels said.
He said that Nku had been working with the commission’s legal team to supplement his evidence before the decision was taken.
Earlier in the day, before the commission announced the indefinite postponement, Michaels acknowledged that several sensitive matters were being dealt with behind closed doors.
“Needless to say, there are many, many sensitive issues that the commission is dealing with. I certainly am not going to talk about what we are dealing with at the moment. We are focused on the witness who is currently before the commission. Mr Nku’s testimony is important,” he said.
The latest disruption comes as the commission races against time to complete its public hearings before submitting its final report to President Cyril Ramaphosa by 31 August.
Michaels said the inquiry remained focused on completing its work despite increasingly complex logistical and security challenges.
“We have quite a number of witnesses to get through over the next few weeks. We don’t ordinarily talk about who is coming, when they are coming, what preparations we are making. As you are now accustomed to, you hear about who’s appearing within a few hours before they appear,” he said.
Meanwhile, the commission confirmed that tenderpreneur and corruption and attempted-murder accused Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala has been subpoenaed to testify next Tuesday.
Confirming the development, Michaels described Matlala as a central figure in the inquiry while stressing that preparations for his appearance were highly sensitive.
“The commission can confirm that Mr Vusimusi Matlala has been subpoenaed to appear before the commission next Tuesday. We don’t want to say much more than that at this point. I’m simply going to confirm that he has been subpoenaed to appear before the commission next Tuesday,” he said.
Pressed on how the commission would manage Matlala’s appearance while criminal proceedings involving him continue, Michaels declined to provide further details.
“Aside from confirming his appearance next Tuesday, and of course, that he had been issued with a subpoena accordingly, we are not going to say anything more. Let’s see how it unfolds next week,” he said.
Michaels also dismissed speculation surrounding the commission’s access to Matlala, saying the inquiry remained focused solely on fulfilling its mandate.
“Whatever sideshows there may be, we are squarely focused on what it is that we have been charged with doing in terms of our mandate. The theatrics and drama is not our forte,” he said.
The commission will resume on Friday morning to deal with the evidence of suspended Gauteng Crime Intelligence boss Major-General Feroz Khan, in his absence. Khan is in hospital after an alleged failed hit on his life on Sunday night.
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