Public access to the Madlanga Commission will be suspended for several days after commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga granted an application for Witness M to testify in camera about his alleged involvement in a police drug bust.
The commission has previously heard testimony of a staged police drug bust in Aeroton, Johannesburg, where Hawks officials and metropolitan police fought over the ownership of 751kg of cocaine with a street value of R226 million.
Suspended deputy head of crime intelligence Feroz Khan, who is reportedly unconscious in hospital after an assassination attempt, has been implicated in the drug bust.
KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi previously cleared Khan after a disciplinary hearing. Mkhwanazi later questioned the evidence provided.
Madlanga said the commission had considered Witness M's application and was satisfied that it should be granted.
"All I will do now is just to say the application is granted," he said.
The commission adjourned Wednesday's public proceedings to allow Witness M's testimony to proceed behind closed doors.
Madlanga said it had not yet been determined when the public testimonies would resume.
"At this stage we have no idea of when [testimony] will be done, so I can't announce when we will resume in open session … at such and such a date and such and such a time. That will be announced by our spokesperson," he said.
He added that the final order would specify which individuals would be permitted to attend the in-camera proceedings.
Evidence leader advocate Teboho Mosikili told the commission that Witness M had submitted an affidavit requesting to be heard entirely in camera and without public access.
"A notice has been served of this application to the media houses and the application remains unopposed," Mosikili said.
"At the heart of this application, there are serious security and safety concerns for the witness that necessitate that we move for the application to safeguard the interests of the witness, that his testimony be heard totally in camera."
Mosikili requested an order directing that Witness M's evidence be heard behind closed doors and that his face and identifying features be concealed from view.
"And lastly that the person who will be granted access to the proceedings is prohibited from publishing, broadcasting or disseminating or displaying in the public domain any image, photograph, video footage or other visual material that may reveal or tend to reveal the identity of Witness M," he said.
In an affidavit supporting the application, Witness M said he feared that giving evidence publicly could endanger him, his family and his business interests.
"I am humbly requesting permission from the commission to testify in camera and not have the same televised or be heard in public. The request stems from the fact that I would be providing evidence that is of a sensitive nature and could jeopardise my safety, that of my family and it could have an adverse effect on the reputation of my business," he said.
According to the application, Witness M is expected to testify about the circumstances surrounding his presence at the drug bust, how information about the shipment was obtained and the surveillance and monitoring of the consignment.
He is also expected to address his relationship with law enforcement officials and the alleged owners of the shipment.
Witness M said that after consulting with the commission, he became aware of two vehicles allegedly conducting surveillance outside his home and gaining access to a secure estate where he lives. He said he provided the vehicle registration numbers to the commission's head of security.
"I have also received phone calls from persons whose identities were not immediately apparent to me. Given the surrounding circumstances and the sensitive nature of the matters addressed in this affidavit, those calls contributed to my concern that attempts were being made to monitor, intimidate or locate me," he said.
The closed proceedings are expected to continue until Witness M completes his testimony, after which the commission will announce the resumption of public hearings.