Madlanga Commission | Nkosi questioned over sharing of CCTV footage and police information with civilian

WhatsApp exchanges between Mthakathi Mswazi and Sergeant Fannie Nkosi took centre stage at the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday, alongside CCTV footage of the April 2024 murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart.

The footage was allegedly sent to Nkosi by Mswazi, who is also said to have links to accused hitman, Floyd Tiego Mabusela.

Under cross-examination, Nkosi told the commission that he contacted Mswazi about an hour after receiving the video to question its origin, but did not get a clear answer. He said Mswazi simply indicated that it was footage from the crime scene.

Nkosi suggested the video may have been sourced from social media, noting that crime-related content often circulates rapidly online.

Nkosi further testified that he and Mswazi had discussed the murder shortly after it occurred, suggesting this may explain why the footage was shared with him.

The commission also heard that Mswazi is acquainted with Mabusela, who was later arrested alongside former warrant officer Pule Tau and Musa Kekana in connection with the murder.

Links to taxi violence and failure to investigate

Nkosi further testified that suspicion for the 2024 murder of taxi boss Jonathan “Mswazi” Msibi quickly fell on rival Joe Sibanyoni, citing tensions between the two at the time.

Despite this, Nkosi conceded that he did not pursue further investigation after Sibanyoni denied involvement, even though he had been instructed by then KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, to interrogate him.

Instead, Nkosi maintained contact with Sibanyoni and sought his intervention in disputes involving Msibi’s taxi operations.

He also claimed he attempted to broker peace between the rival taxi factions with Sibanyoni’s assistance – a version of events that appeared to raise concern from the commissioners.

Sharing of sensitive information under scrutiny

It was also revealed today that Nkosi had shared with Mampane, images allegedly depicting bodies believed to be those of murdered miners from Brits in the North West.

The commission also heard that Nkosi had sent Mampane an article containing damning allegations against senior police officials, including Mkhwanazi and National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola.

When questioned about sharing potentially sensitive SAPS-related information with a civilian before verifying it, Nkosi said he and Mampane were concerned about Mkhwanazi, whom they both support, following the allegations.

Regarding the images, Nkosi said the images were shared as a warning to Mampane, who was allegedly considering security work in the area.

He maintained that the images came from a civilian, though he could not recall the source.

Concerns over conduct and judgement

In another exchange, Nkosi alerted Mampane to a shooting incident in which three victims were identified – including taxi boss John Oupa Sithole, described as Mampane’s close associate.

Nkosi said he forwarded the information because it was already circulating in the media.

Despite this, the commission raised concerns about his conduct, noting that the information shared included sensitive operational details typically contained in police briefs.

“The person who was killed there was his best friend Mr. Sithole. Earlier that day before I could send him the pictures he phoned me and said hey I heard that my friend has been shot and killed. So when I saw that I think it was circulated by Abramjee and I forwarded it to Mampane because it was already in the news,” Nkosi said.

He denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the information was already in the public domain and that his actions were not improper.

Written by: Odirile Rabalao