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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The Madlanga Commission will this week continue its inquiry into how seized narcotics were handled and allegedly stolen by law enforcement, before it adjourns to draft its second interim report for President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said hearings scheduled for 11 to 15 May would continue examining drug seizures by the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks) and other law enforcement agencies, as well as the handling and disappearance of narcotics in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

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The commission heard extensive testimony from Hawks Serious Organised Crime head Maj-Gen Hendrik Flynn and retired unit head Lieutenant-Colonel Jakobus Prinsloo last week relating to the alleged theft of drugs from the Hawks’ offices in Port Shepstone.

Witnesses told the inquiry that 541 kilograms of drugs were allegedly stolen from the premises in November 2021, in a case that has raised questions about the safekeeping of seized narcotics and possible collusion within law enforcement structures.

Last week’s proceedings included closed-door testimony from Witness H on Friday, with the commission finding that certain evidence must be heard in-camera to protect ongoing investigations, confidential sources and potential prosecutions.

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Michaels said this week’s hearings would build on the evidence already presented before the inquiry.

“This is a continuation of the testimony of several witnesses last week, including the in-camera evidence of Witness H on Friday 8 May 2026,” he said.

The commission is investigating allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption within South Africa’s criminal justice system, with a particular focus on claims made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Mkhwanazi has alleged that criminal syndicates infiltrated elements of law enforcement and the criminal justice system, prompting the establishment of the inquiry chaired by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.

A new witness is expected to testify before the commission on Monday morning.

This week will mark the final round of public hearings before the commission temporarily adjourns on 18 May to focus on drafting its second interim report.

According to the commission, the report is due to be submitted to Ramaphosa on 29 May.

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The Madlanga Commission has lined-up dozens of witnesses to testify in the next few months and corroborate or substantiate some of the allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Commission spokesman Jeremy Michaels said on Monday that evidence leaders, investigators, the secretariat, and support had been working during the recess period to prepare for the hearings.

This after the commission chairman, retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, delivered an interim report to President Cyril Ramaphosa from the 2025 hearings, which started in September.  

“The commission will continue where it left off in December 2025, hearing evidence from persons who have been implicated in the serious allegations made by Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and many other witnesses who corroborated or substantiated those allegations last year,” Michaels said in a statement.

The inquiry to probe political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system was established by Ramaphosa following explosive allegations made by Mkhwanazi at a press conference in July 2025.

In those allegations — which have since been aired at the commission — Mkhwanazi implicated suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu in wrongdoing, alleging links to underworld figures, among other claims.

Michaels said phase one of the commission was dedicated to establishing what factual foundation there was for the allegations, and it was during this phase that the commission received evidence from witnesses.

“[T]he evidence was not subjected to testing questioning in Phase One. Phase Two provides persons implicated in Phase One an opportunity to respond to the allegations made against them and, where applicable, to make their own allegations,” Michaels said.

“Alongside the responses to the allegations of Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi and the witnesses supporting him, Phase Two also provides for the ventilation of other issues falling within the Commission’s Terms of Reference but not addressed in Phase One,” he said.

He said phase three will bring Mkhwanazi and other witnesses back to testify again, this time under cross-examination, and to respond to evidence presented in phase two.

“It is important to note that the work of the commission is dynamic and is part of an ongoing process. Issues of crucial significance to the commission’s mandate will be addressed in further hearings even if they do not fall neatly into the three phases,” he said.

Michaels said anyone who wished to provide the commission with further information that falls within the Terms of Reference could do so anonymously and confidentially by contacting the Commission’s hotline on 0800 111 369 or by email at madlangacommission@behonest.co.za.

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Alleged political fixer and North West businessman Brown Mogotsi is expected to be the first among several Persons of Interest (PoIs) to give his account after being implicated during Phase One of the Madlanga Commission.

The inquiry shifts into a decisive new stage on Tuesday as Phase Two of its proceedings formally begins.

Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels confirmed on Monday that the next phase will focus on testing allegations and allowing implicated individuals to respond under oath.

Phase Two opens on day 35 of the hearings and will begin with Mogotsi’s testimony, scheduled for 18 and 19 November.

Phase One centred on establishing the factual basis of the claims and corroborating allegations made by Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi, without yet interrogating or testing those assertions.

Phase Two will now move the process into a more rigorous and adversarial mode.

Individuals and institutional representatives named during Phase One have been invited, or compelled where necessary, to appear before the commission.

For the first time, these PoIs will have the opportunity to present their version of events and respond directly to allegations of criminality, political interference or corruption within the criminal justice system.

According to Michaels, all PoIs who have submitted written statements will be allowed to guide the commission through their statements without hostile questioning.

Only after they have completed this initial testimony will their evidence be formally tested by the commission’s evidence leaders, who will interrogate inconsistencies, omissions and counter-allegations emerging from Phase One.

“This process ensures that those implicated are heard, which is critical for fairness, and that their allegations are tested,” Michaels said.

He emphasised the commission’s commitment to procedural justice, confirming that Phase Two is expected to continue into early 2026.

Michaels said the commission will still hear a small number of remaining Phase One witnesses in the coming weeks.

Looking ahead, Phase Three will see Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and other central witnesses return to the stand to respond to the explanations, defences and counterclaims raised by PoIs during Phase Two.

This stage will involve testing the original Phase One accounts and assessing them against the full body of evidence.

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