Crime intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo. (Screenshot from Madlanga Commission)
The Madlanga commission into police corruption and criminality adjourned early on Wednesday after a witness, crime intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo, fell ill at the venue before proceedings could begin.
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said in a statement that Khumalo was receiving “the best medical care after feeling unwell” on the morning of the hearing at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria.
Masemola added that Khumalo “is in good spirits and taking health advice from his physician”.
The commission, chaired by retired judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged in July that crime syndicates were colluding with politicians to derail investigations. Both Mkhwanazi and Masemola have already testified before it.
The inquiry has heard explosive testimony over the past few weeks. Mkhwanazi accused senior police leaders of allowing political interference, while national commissioner Masemola testified that suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu unlawfully ordered the dissolution of a task team on political killings in December 2024.
Phone records seized during the arrest of Gauteng drug cartel leaders Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and Katiso Molefe linked them directly to Mchunu and Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya.
Khumalo, who has been testifying for three days, has told the commission that organised crime cartels, including the so-called Big 5, had infiltrated both the police and political structures. He said text messages revealed that Matlala paid Mchunu’s associate, Brown Mokgotsi, to influence police processes, secure protection from investigations and even fund ANC delegates.
Mkhwanazi has also implicated former police minister Nathi Mthethwa in shielding former crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli from a 2011 slush-fund scandal. Mthethwa, now South Africa’s ambassador to France, was found dead in a hotel in Paris this week from as yet unclear causes.
Mchunu, who has denied any wrongdoing, is expected to appear before the commission during its second phase to respond to the allegations against him.