Gauteng Hawks Lieutenant-Colonel Nkoana Sebola has accused several senior South African Police Service (SAPS) officers of interfering in the investigation into the 2021 Aeroton cocaine bust, alleging their actions undermined what he believed was a strong criminal case.

Sebola made the allegations while testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Monday. The commission is investigating the theft and handling of more than 700kg of cocaine seized in Johannesburg in July 2021.

“I was concerned about the conduct of certain senior officers and the role they played at the crime scene,” Sebola told the commission.

He alleged that senior officers, including Gauteng Crime Intelligence deputy head Major-General Feroz Khan, Gauteng Hawks head Major-General Ebrahim Kadwa and Gauteng Crime Intelligence head Major-General Josias Lekalakala, interfered in the investigation and crime scene management process.

Sebola said he was particularly troubled by Khan’s conduct and statements regarding the handling of the scene.

“I was concerned regarding a statement made by General Khan and questioned his understanding of proper crime scene management,” he said.

According to Sebola, the alleged interference weakened a case that he believed contained sufficient evidence to proceed to prosecution.

The commission heard that his concerns extended beyond the Aeroton matter.

Sebola described what he characterised as a pattern of interference by senior officials in investigations.

“I was deployed to the airport, where dollars were confiscated at OR Tambo. Those dollars were subsequently sent to the Reserve Bank, with instructions to return them to their owner. An item other than dollars was declared. Interference took place,” he said.

Asked whether the involvement of senior officers had assisted or hindered investigations, Sebola said it had been obstructive.

“I am concerned about the ambiguous conduct of certain generals. It is not clear whether their actions are aimed at apprehension or resolution. There is substantial interference,” he said.

Earlier, Sebola outlined evidence allegedly linking Gauteng traffic chief Samuel Mashaba to communications uncovered during the investigation.

The commission heard that investigators recovered screenshots from the cellphone of alleged informant Tumelo Nku, including communications conducted through the encrypted messaging application Threema.

According to Sebola, one of the cellphone numbers identified during the investigation had been saved under the name “General”.

“A number was saved as ‘General’ and we later found out that the number belonged to Samuel Mashaba, who was the General they referred to,” he said.

Mashaba is a central figure in the commission’s investigation.

He received a tip-off about a container allegedly carrying cocaine from Durban harbour to the Yellow Jacket Logistics warehouse in Aeroton.

Police later intercepted the truck and seized 741kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of R300 million.

Sebola testified that investigators also recovered screenshots showing discussions about containers and vessels, suggesting those involved had monitored several shipments before the Aeroton operation.

“The group which took possession of the Aeroton drug consignment had been monitoring several other containers before the July 2021 operation,” he said.

He added that investigators uncovered evidence suggesting some of those previous operations had been successful.

The commission also heard that cellphone tracking data placed Nku in Durban while the container was still at the port and later showed him travelling along the same route as the truck carrying the cocaine.

“On 8 July 2021, the truck was released from the Port of Durban to Gauteng, and on the same day Tumelo Nku travelled to Gauteng. This is a clear indication that Tumelo Nku was monitoring the truck,” Sebola testified.

However, under questioning from commissioners, Sebola conceded that he could not definitively link the recovered chat messages to the Aeroton drug bust.

The commission also scrutinised the technical basis of Sebola’s evidence, particularly the recovery and interpretation of encrypted communications.

Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga requested a detailed affidavit from a DPCI analyst after it emerged that Sebola had relied on technical assistance in compiling portions of the report submitted to the commission.

Meanwhile, the commission announced that Khan remains scheduled to testify on 1 July after withdrawing two urgent court applications aimed at preventing the commission from accessing data on devices seized from him.

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The South African Police Service (SAPS) on Friday confirmed the dismissal of suspended Major General Richard Shibiri, its former Component Head for Organised Crime, after an internal disciplinary process found him guilty of misconduct for conduct that brought the police service into disrepute.

SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said that Shibiri was dismissed after disciplinary proceedings conducted under police rules and “principles of procedural fairness”. She said the misconduct included “associating himself with a known criminal”.

SAPS did not identify the criminal in its statement, but Shibiri’s dismissal comes after months of evidence at the Madlanga Commission about his relationship with currently incarcerated Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, the attempted-murder accused tenderpreneur who has featured prominently in evidence about alleged criminal infiltration of law enforcement.

In March, the commission heard Shibiri had been in consistent communication with Matlala a week before Matlala’s arrest, despite earlier testimony that their communication was “minimal”.

Shibiri previously testified before the commission that Matlala had loaned him R70,000 to repair his son’s vehicle, and that the money had been repaid.

He also testified that he and Matlala were “friends”, but not the kind of friend “with whom we go out and go to parties together”. He admitted their proximity could create a negative perception.

This is a developing story.

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KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi warned that South Africa was at a “crossroads” over corruption and compromised institutions, using his acceptance of the National Press Club’s 2025 Newsmaker of the Year award to defend his July 2025 media briefing that triggered the Madlanga Commission.

Speaking at the press club’s gala dinner at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria on Friday night, Mkhwanazi said his 6 July 2025 briefing was not an attempt to court popularity, but an act of duty.

“The media briefing of 6 July 2025 was not an exercise in popularity. It was not a campaign. It was not an attempt to become a public figure. It was an act of duty,” he said.

His remarks came on the same day the Madlanga Commission submitted its second interim report to President Cyril Ramaphosa, marking a new stage in the inquiry into allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption in South Africa’s criminal justice system.

“When institutions begin to fear the truth more than they fear criminality, society enters dangerous territory,” Mkhwanazi said. “South Africa is standing at such a crossroads.”

He added: “The truth is painful; A capable state cannot coexist with compromised institutions.”

Mkhwanazi was named the newsmaker of the year after his July briefing placed allegations of criminal infiltration of law enforcement and intelligence structures at the centre of South Africa’s political and criminal justice debate.

In that briefing, Mkhwanazi alleged the existence of a sophisticated criminal syndicate that had infiltrated law enforcement and intelligence structures. He also alleged that then-police minister Senzo Mchunu had interfered in sensitive police investigations and colluded with business people to disband the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team.

Mchunu has denied the allegations. Ramaphosa later placed him on leave and announced the judicial commission of inquiry, chaired by Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, to investigate the claims.

Said Mkhwanazi during his speech: “We cannot continue to normalise corruption. We cannot continue to protect incompetence. We cannot continue to romanticise criminality while honest citizens live behind burglar bars, businesses collapse under extortion, communities are terrorised by organised crime and public trust in institutions continues to erode.”

He said the “spring cleaning” confronting the criminal justice system should not be selective and must extend across government departments, municipalities, law enforcement agencies, the private sector and the media.

“If South Africa is serious about a national reset, then that reset must include all of us; political leadership, law enforcement, the judiciary, business, civil society and the media,” he said. “No institution can place itself above scrutiny while demanding accountability from others.”

Mkhwanazi said accepting the award should not be read as a sign that “all is well” in the country.

“It is precisely because all is not well that every one of us must recommit ourselves to making it well,” he said.

He accepted the award on behalf of police officers, detectives and members who, he said, continued to serve despite intimidation, limited resources and criticism.

“There are many honest and committed police officers in this country. Men and women who refuse to surrender this organisation to corruption, criminal infiltration or institutional decay,” he said.

“History will not judge us by the titles we held, the awards we collected or the speeches we delivered. History will judge us by whether we defended the truth when it mattered.”

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An undercover SAPS Crime Intelligence operative whose name has previously been mentioned at the Madlanga Commission wants to testify in-camera at the enquiry next week because he fears not doing so could place his and his family’s lives at risk, and compromise active investigations.

“I have a well-founded and genuine fear for my physical safety and the safety of my family,” the witness said in a redacted in-camera application published by the commission late on Friday.

“The purpose of this application is to request that my testimony be heard in-camera and that my physical identity be shielded from the public domain.”

The commission is scheduled to rule on the application on Tuesday.

The witness, who works in Durban, said he interacts with “criminalised sources and undercover agents” and that public exposure would compromise the integrity of intelligence operations.

“I am an undercover/covert operative,” he said. “When meeting these people my legend has to blend in and not be identified as a policeman so as to protect my identity, the people I meet and the integrity of the information/intelligence or operation.”

The commission will resume on Monday, and continue hearing evidence on police drug seizures, including the 541kg of cocaine seized at the CHC container depot in Isipingo, Durban, in June 2021. That haul had a street value of R250 million.

It is also expected to hear testimony about the subsequent theft of the seized drugs from the Hawks Port Shepstone offices in November 2021, and the suspected attempted theft of another cargo load in Gauteng.

Said the witness in the affidavit: “There is a risk of cartels associating my name with all these recoveries, which has caused a big hole in their wallets, they will attack me without sending a warning because they always do as soon as they put a face to my name which has already been mentioned (at the commission).

“[T]he examples of murders linked to the drugs that went missing are those of DJ Sumbody and his bodyguards, Sandile DJ Citi Lyst Mkhize, Thulani Heavy P Msimango and Hector Ginimbi Buthelezi who are reported to be the casualties of the same conflicts of these stolen drugs, as it is reported.”

According to a supporting affidavit by commission attorney Yajana Kilawan, the witness provided intelligence that led to the Port Shepstone seizure and was present at the crime scene.

Kilawan said the witness engaged with DPCI members involved in the seizure and accompanied them when the exhibits were transported to Isipingo.

In his affidavit, the witness said his work also includes undercover operations related to cash-in-transit heists, business robberies, murders and other crimes.

“I have to meet and pay sources together with handlers, whoever is seen with me will be killed because I have been seen on TV testifying in the commission, this will not only put my life at risk but my family as well. Members depend on me, and they will be facing the same risk,” he said.

“The manner in which my name has been mentioned in the commission has put my life in danger and at high risk,” he said.

“In my belief, this action has compromised me. I have been exposed to all the Cartels who are smuggling drugs through the Durban Harbour.”

The application asks the commission to prohibit the media and public from publishing the witness’s photograph, name, address or any details that could reveal his identity. In the alternative, he asks that his face not be revealed to the public.

“If I am forced to testify in [an] open hearing, fear will prevent me from testifying freely, which will severely prejudice the interests of justice and the commission,” he said.

Kilawan said the legal team had considered the application and believed a balance could be struck by allowing the witness to give evidence via audio link without revealing his face.

Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said in a statement also issued late on Friday that “several witnesses who have previously appeared before the Commission are due to return” upon the resumption of the latest hearings.

These include “[former police] Minister Senzo Mchunu, Major-General Lesetja Senona and EMPD Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi, amongst others. A number of new witnesses are under subpoena to appear in the coming weeks”.

In December last year, Marius van der Merwe, known as Witness D, was gunned down outside his Brakpan home in front of his wife and children just weeks after giving in-camera testimony at the commission.

Former special task force member Matipandile Sotheni was arrested for the murder, and is currently applying for bail. He faces charges that include murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

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More than 76,500 illegal foreigners were arrested across the country between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said on Tuesday.

SAPS said in a statement that 29,371 illegal foreigners had been arrested between 1 January and 17 May 2026, during intelligence-driven operations, tracing operations, roadblocks, stop-and-search operations and other multi-disciplinary law enforcement initiatives.

In the past week alone, police arrested 1,891 illegal foreigners for contravening the Immigration Act, SAPS said.

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“The South African Police Service continues to intensify its nationwide crime prevention and law enforcement operations aimed at addressing illegal immigration and related criminality through Operation Shanela.”

The latest arrests formed part of “broader efforts to combat crime, maintain law and order and address challenges associated with undocumented persons operating unlawfully within communities”.

The statement comes amid rising anti-illegal foreigner sentiment in the country, where a series of marches and protests – some turning violent — have taken place by locals demanding tougher action against undocumented migrants.

About 300 Ghanaians were repatriated from South Africa on Wednesday because of the increasing tensions, while at least 130 Nigerians had earlier sought repatriation after protests in Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Police also said this week they were on high alert and warned that intimidation, attacks on businesses, vigilantism or incitement to public violence during the protests would be met with “the full force of the law”.

“Police remain committed to enforcing the laws of the Republic without fear or favour while ensuring that all operations are conducted within the confines of the Constitution and applicable legislation,” SAPS said.

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Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane said police would continue to intensify operations to ensure that those found to be in the country illegally were processed in accordance with the law.

SAPS also urged communities to work with law enforcement agencies by reporting criminal activity and avoiding vigilantism, intimidation or violence against foreign nationals.

“Police remain committed to maintaining peace, stability and the rule of law in all communities,” SAPS said.

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Alleged crime boss Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala has entered into formal engagements with prosecutors and investigators, a development that could deepen one of the most explosive police corruption scandals in the country.

But the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has been careful to draw a line between those engagements and an actual plea deal.

The NPA has confirmed that talks are taking place between Matlala and the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), but says no plea agreement has been concluded and that it is too early to say whether the discussions will lead to any formal cooperation.

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In legal circles, these engagements are common in complex cases. They allow the prosecution and defence to clarify positions, test information, plan procedure and determine whether any further legal process may follow.

Advocate Inez Bezuidenhout has described such engagements as “a mechanism for clarification and procedural planning”, rather than a binding route to leniency.

Matlala is one of the central accused in the Medicare24 tender case, involving an allegedly irregular SAPS contract valued at about R228 million. The procurement controversy has also been reported in connection with a R360 million SAPS health and wellness tender, allegedly meant to provide services to more than 180,000 police members.

The case has already drawn in some of the country’s most senior police officials.

Suspended National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has been joined to the matter on charges linked to alleged breaches of the Public Finance Management Act.

The NPA has said the charges relate to the alleged irregular awarding of the Medicare24 contract, while Matlala and other accused face charges including corruption, fraud, and money laundering.

ALSO READ: Nkosi to learn if trial will be faced from home or prison

The matter has been postponed for further investigation and disclosure of the docket, with the state also expected to consider whether the charge sheet should be amended following Masemola’s inclusion.

Still, the fact that Matlala is talking to the state has triggered intense speculation about what he may know, and who else could be pulled into the widening web of allegations around SAPS procurement, political interference and organised crime.

If the engagements ever move beyond procedure and into cooperation, Matlala could become a significant witness for the state.

The NPA has warned against assuming that the discussions will result in a plea agreement, or that Matlala would automatically escape prosecution if he provides information. Any such process would have to be approved through the proper prosecutorial channels and tested within the law.

Matlala has already been named in several politically charged allegations. Former police minister Bheki Cele has been accused, in claims made by Matlala before Parliament, of receiving R500,000 in cash payments. Those allegations remain untested in court and Cele has denied improper links to Matlala.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who was placed on leave of absence by President Cyril Ramaphosa, has also been at the centre of allegations first made publicly by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Mkhwanazi alleged that Mchunu interfered in sensitive investigations and colluded with business people, including a murder accused, to disband the Political Killings Task Team. Mchunu has denied wrongdoing and has defended the decision to disband the unit.

Suspended deputy national commissioner Shadrack Sibiya and political fixer Brown Mogotsi have also featured in testimony and reporting around the alleged interference in police investigations. Those claims remain part of the contested terrain now before the Madlanga Commission and Parliament.

ALSO READ: Kunene blames Mantashe for Joburg sinkhole crisis

Matlala’s engagements with the state do not prove that he will turn state witness. They do not prove that senior police officials or politicians will be charged because of anything he says. And they do not, on their own, prove the existence of a protection network around him.

But they could become important if prosecutors are able to verify information, corroborate claims and link testimony to documents, communications, payments or decisions inside SAPS.

Evidence from an accused person seeking leniency is always vulnerable to attack. Defence lawyers would almost certainly argue that Matlala has every reason to shift blame, exaggerate the role of others or tailor his version to suit his own interests.

Courts would therefore have to treat any such evidence with caution and look for independent corroboration.

Still, in corruption cases where the paper trail is incomplete, insiders can become crucial. They can explain who gave instructions, who benefited, who protected whom, and how decisions that appear administrative on paper may have been driven by political or criminal influence.

In a scandal that has already placed senior police leadership, political figures and procurement systems under scrutiny, even procedural engagements are enough to rattle the room.

If Matlala decides to cooperate, and if the state can back up what he says, the Medicare24 case could shift from a tender corruption prosecution into something far bigger: a test of how deep the alleged capture of policing power really went.

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Suspended South African Police Service (SAPS) Organised Crime Unit Sergeant Fannie Nkosi is set to appear at the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday, where a judge will decide whether he will await trial from home or remain behind bars at Kgosi Mampuru Prison.

Nkosi, arrested in April 2026, faces several serious charges after investigators raided his Pretoria North home. The raid uncovered high-calibre firearms, which include an R5 rifle, nearly 500 rounds of ammunition, a commercial stun grenade, six stolen police dockets linked to cash-in-transit robberies and car hijackings, and over R52,000 in unexplained cash hidden beneath a mattress.

The State alleges Nkosi acted as a middleman between senior police officials, including Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, and Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, the suspected leader of the notorious “Big Five” criminal cartel.

Nkosi’s alleged cartel ties, combined with accusations of falsifying his rank to interfere with a police docket in Thohoyandou, appear to have deepened his legal challenges.

The Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court previously denied Nkosi bail, citing the seriousness of Schedule five offenses, strong state evidence, and fears he might tamper with investigations.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has since centralised Nkosi’s cases, merging the Pretoria and Thohoyandou matters into a single trial scheduled to begin on 22 July 2026.

Tuesday’s High Court ruling will determine whether Nkosi prepares for that trial from the confines of Kgosi Mampuru Prison or under house arrest.

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The case against suspended SAPS Organised Crime Unit member Fannie Nkosi has been postponed to 22 July to consolidate all his cases.

The disgraced cop made a brief appearance in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Nkosi faces charges in Thohoyandou including theft of dagga, fraud, defeating the ends of justice and theft of a police forensic report linked to an alleged drug case interference matter.

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The State told the court it intends applying for the centralisation of the Thohoyandou and Pretoria matters.

“The state is requesting a postponement until the 22nd of July for purposes of centralisation,” the prosecutor told the court.

During proceedings, Nkosi’s legal representative withdrew from the matter after informing the court that another attorney had been appointed to take over his defence.

He remains in police custody after his previous bail applications were denied.

“You remain in custody. Your bail is denied,” the magistrate said.

Nkosi’s return to court follows a series of escalating legal challenges tied to the Madlanga Commission.

The Thohoyandou charges stem from a 2022 case involving dagga, unlicensed firearms and explosives. 

Police allege that Nkosi collected an original case docket while claiming he had been sent from Head Office before later removing confiscated dagga from police custody while posing as a colonel.

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In April, Nkosi was denied bail after the court found that his release was not in the interests of justice.

Nkosi is also facing charges related to unlawful possession of a stun grenade, ammunition, SAPS property and police dockets after cash and police exhibits were allegedly found during a raid at his home.

He has also been described as an alleged middleman between suspected cartel boss Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, senior police officers and Tshwane officials.

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Taxi boss Oupa Bafana Sindane handed himself over to the South African Police Service (SAPS) on Friday and appeared in the Kwaggafontein Magistrate’s Court to face extortion charges alongside Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and two other accused.

Sindane is appearing alongside Sibanyoni, Philemon Makhaya Masilela, and Mvimbi Daniel Msiza.

Sindane is the fourth suspect in a criminal case involving alleged R2 million in extortion and money laundering.

ALSO READ: Fourth taxi boss joins the dock as we dig deeper into Joe Ferrari Sibanyoni

Sindane is widely known in public entertainment circles as a friend of actress and businesswoman Amanda du Pont. The relationship has sparked significant tabloid drama as Sindane is reported to be married.

Ongoing news coverage tracking his surrender and court appearances details several key points. He and his co-accused are alleged to have extorted millions in “protection fees” from a mining businessman between 2022 and 2025.

He is closely linked to prominent taxi tycoon “Ferrari” Sibanyoni.

Their relationship has been a frequent subject of media scrutiny and public controversy.

Despite public backlash regarding his marital status and displays of immense wealth, Du Pont and Sindane frequently attended elite social events together.

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The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Crime Intelligence Unit has arrested 11 suspects, including four Mexican nationals and one woman, after uncovering a drug manufacturing laboratory worth an estimated R100 million on a farm in Swartruggens, North West.

North West Acting Police Commissioner Major General Ryno Naidoo told reporters at the scene that police launched an investigation several days ago after community members reported a foul smell emanating from the farm.

“When they took down this place they discovered a crystal meth laboratory, huge quantities of chemicals. On further searching of the property they also found a gold processing plant,” said Naidoo.

Naidoo said the farm was operating under the guise of a game lodge, but its “real business” was drug manufacturing and gold processing.

Three of the arrested suspects are South African citizens, while the others are foreign nationals from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Mexico. Police said verification processes were still under way.

Naidoo described the bust as one of the largest operations encountered by SAPS investigators in the country.

“The quantities are definitely also stuff that is being pushed out. So we are glad that they have taken it down and we are able to disrupt this kind of business,” he added.

He said the estimated production capacity of the laboratory could have generated between R200 million and R250 million.

Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane welcomed the operation, saying it reflected SAPS’ commitment to dismantling organised crime syndicates involved in the manufacturing and distribution of illicit drugs.

Dimpane said police operations conducted across the country over the past week resulted in the arrest of 280 suspects for drug dealing, while a further 2,573 people were detained for possession of illegal substances.

“The latest drug bust must send a stern warning to criminals that SAPS remains resolute and relentless in the fight against crime,” Dimpane said.

“We will continue to intensify operations aimed at disrupting and dismantling drug networks operating within our communities.”

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