Crime intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo. (Screenshot from Madlanga Commission)
Organised crime has evolved and has been strengthened by the infiltration and compromise of the South African Police Service (SAPS), crime intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo told the Madlanga commission on Monday.
He said in his view the attempt to disband a task team on political killings “was due to the influence of a particular organised crime cartel over the ministry of police, as well as the South African Police Service, who mistakenly thought the political killing task team was investigating the same cartel”.
“The intervention in the SAPS have never been so important nowadays because of the level of threats that are from within the department or the organisation itself,” said Khumalo, adding that he would discuss the level of internal threats with the commission further in camera for security reasons.
“My extensive experience within the crime intelligence division positions me to address the critical issues, more especially those that refer to the infiltration of both the divisions and the South African police, driven by these criminal cartels,” the intelligence boss added.
Khumalo echoed earlier testimony by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who said the now suspended police minister, Senzo Mchunu, disbanded the political killings task team as it was closing in on drug cartels in Gauteng.
National commissioner Fannie Masemola also testified that Mchunu’s decision to dissolve the unit was an “encroachment” on his duties and was motivated by efforts to shield criminal syndicates.
Masemola said suspects Katiso Molefe and Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala — now facing murder charges — were arrested by the task team, and that seized phone records linked them directly to Mchunu and deputy national commissioner Shadrack Sibiya. Masemola said this showed the dissolution was intended to block further investigations into the syndicates.
President Cyril Ramaphosa established the commission chaired by retired judge Mbuyisele Madlanga after Mkhwanazi’s bombshell media briefing in July alleging 121 dockets were taken from the task team and sent to the police head office. Mchunu has denied the allegations and called them “wild”.
On Monday, Khumalo recalled that in 2011 when he was acting head counter and security intelligence within Crime Intelligence and during Mkhwanazi’s stint as acting national commissioner, there had been an attempt to halt corruption and misuse of resources after former crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli’s slush fund scandal.
“Reform of crime intelligence did not happen because all the acting heads were removed — before attempts to reform the crime environment,” he said, adding that “everything was reversed within two months” of Mkhwanazi’s departure from acting role.
Mkhwanazi expressed similar sentiments to the Madlanga inquiry, saying crime intelligence had not been cleansed since 2011, with those implicated now occupying higher positions.
He said Mchunu disbanded the unit through a WhatsApp message, without getting a single briefing on its work, a decision he described as “irrational and irregular”. Masemola said the disbandment was disruptive and noted that 115 active cases were still before the courts.
On Monday Khumalo argued that crime intelligence remains the cornerstone of policing in South Africa, especially in the face of evolving organised crime.
“The interventions in the SAPS have never been more important than nowadays, from the levels of threats that are from within,” he said.
In June 2025 Khumalo was charged with corruption by the independent directorate against corruption for the “irregular appointment” of Dineo Makwele in a senior crime intelligence post. Mkhwanazi has testified before the commission that the charges were brought as part of a witch-hunt to halt investigations and protect cartels.
Khumalo on Monday said under his leadership, performance in the division had improved, particularly in combating organised crime and he had gained an understanding of “sophisticated methods used by organised crime to compromise” the police service.
“In the division, I introduced a management style that has since proven to be effective, resulting in enhanced stability, more especially in the management level and improved compliance with various policies and cessation of resources and crime intelligence abuse,” he said.
He added that in the past, investigations were not yielding results. To fix this, his division developed a “tried and tested” strategy in December 2018, moving from investigator-led to analysis-led investigations. The new approach, he explained, uses analysts alongside investigators and prosecutors, applying an organised crime model that has improved case outcomes.
Khumalo said crime intelligence was now at a “crucial time”, with both internal threats and external criminal networks undermining the SAPS.