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The KwaZulu-Natal head of the Directorate and Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Lesetja Senona, on Wednesday again denied sharing confidential information with businessman and alleged leader of the Big 5 Cartel Vusimuzi Cat Matlala, insisting they had spoken about general news events as friends. Matlala contacted Senona soon after the businessman’s home was raided and his…
The disbandment of a KwaZulu-Natal-based political killings task team was a surprise, and the handover of 121 dockets it was working on to the South African Police Service (SAPS) head office was “messy”, a member of the team told the Madlanga commission on Monday. “Within 24 hours, [task team] members had to try and scan…
Suspended deputy national commissioner for crime Shadrack Sibiya moved 121 case dockets from the KwaZulu-Natal-based political killings task team without a proper explanation, a witness told the Madlanga Commission on Monday. Mary Motsepe, the head of serious and violent crimes, told the commission, chaired by retired judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, that she was instructed to collect…
The forensic evidence team leader of the political killings task team told the Mandlanga commission that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) interfered in the arrests of murder co-accused Katiso Molefe and Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. Maxwell Wanda said that, during a takedown operation at Molefe’s Sandhurst residence in Gauteng, a group of Hawks…
Former police minister Bheki Cele has criticised former national police commissioner Riah Phiyega over her handling of the Marikana mine killings. Cele told parliament’s ad hoc committee looking into police corruption that, if he had been in office during the Marikana massacre, in which 34 striking mineworkers were shot dead by police in 2012, the…
The Madlanga commission heard further testimony of police corruption on Monday from an anonymous police investigator who alleged that senior Gauteng officials were linked to drug cartels and criminal syndicates implicated in contract killings. Witness A, a serving officer in the organised crime unit, told the commission that in May 2024 after the murder of…
An anonymous police investigator — identified only as Witness A — has implicated the Johannesburg central police station in involvement in organised crime. The witness told the Madlanga commission inquiry into political interference in policing on Monday that an investigation into the murder of Armand Swart, an engineer believed to be a whistleblower on overpriced…
ANC MPs avoided making direct reference to suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu as parliament’s ad hoc committee on police corruption continued questioning KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on Wednesday. Instead, the MPs focused on corruption in the judiciary, the role of former ANC member Brown Mogotsi, threats to Mkhwanazi’s family and alleged leaks…
Crime intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo told the Madlanga commission on Monday that text messages obtained from murder suspect Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, one of the leaders of the “Big 5” Gauteng-based drug cartel, revealed links between suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and payments for ANC events. “These chats were included in my affidavit because they will…