The Madlanga Commission will resume its hearings on Monday morning in Pretoria, where a new witness is expected to testify about the 2024 arrest of alleged Big 5 kingpin Katiso “KT” Molefe.
The inquiry has been investigating allegations of deep-rooted corruption within the South African Police Service (SAPS) and political interference in organised crime cases.
Proceedings are scheduled to begin at 09:30 SAST and will be streamed live below.
The latest session follows a week of shocking revelations from Witness C, a member of the Police Killings Task Team (PKTT), whose testimony implicated several high-ranking officials, including suspended Deputy Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya and KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major-General Lesetja Senona.
Witness C alleged that the two officers received monthly kickbacks from businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who has been described as an associate of both Molefe and Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
According to evidence presented last week, Matlala allegedly financed Mchunu’s political campaigns and maintained influence in SAPS through cash bribes and favours.
Witness C testified that Matlala paid senior police officers after receiving state payments for his companies.
“He would say that after every payment he received from SAPS, he paid Sibiya,” Witness C told the commission.
The testimony also included an audio recording played before the inquiry, in which Matlala could be heard claiming that Mchunu had cancelled one of his lucrative government contracts after he refused to fabricate a criminal case against Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, head of Crime Intelligence.
The recording, now part of the commission’s forensic evidence review, has raised new questions about political interference in policing decisions.
Justice Madlanga said the commission would continue to examine financial records and communication logs to verify these allegations, adding that testimony from law enforcement officers directly involved in Molefe’s arrest would be key in establishing the extent of SAPS infiltration.
“The integrity of the police force is at stake, and this commission must determine whether criminal syndicates have penetrated its ranks,” he said in closing remarks on Thursday.
This week’s witness, whose identity has not yet been disclosed for safety reasons, is believed to have been part of the team that captured Molefe in 2024. Molefe, often referred to as the “Big 5 kingpin,” has been linked to illegal mining networks, money laundering, and wildlife trafficking.
The commission is expected to hear how key suspects allegedly received inside information from SAPS officers during ongoing investigations.
Meanwhile, the Ad Hoc Parliamentary Committee tasked with reviewing the findings of the Madlanga Commission is set to resume its own hearings this week.
The committee is expected to call additional witnesses, including government officials and members of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), to address oversight failures.
Watch today’s Madlanga Commission proceedings below:
