Madlanga Commission | Khan ordered to appear before Commission in July

Suspended Deputy Crime Intelligence head Major-General, Feroz Khan, has been subpoenaed to appear before Madlanga Commission on 1 July.

The Commission has also issued a Regulation 10(6) notice authorising the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) to grant access to Khan’s devices, saying the data stored on them is critical to its ongoing investigation.

Khan approached the Johannesburg High Court on an urgent basis on 3 June, seeking an interdict to prevent the Commission, SAPS, and other parties from accessing data on his devices.

In a further development, the Commission says Khan had also requested that his testimony be heard behind closed doors, and that the public’s access to his affidavits be restricted.

However, both applications have since collapsed, as Khan withdrawing his request for in-camera proceedings as well as his urgent bid to block access to his devices.

According to Commission spokesperson, Jeremy Michaels, Khan will continue to testify until the Commission is satisfied that he has provided all necessary information.

“So the commission issued a notice to major general, Feroz Khan, to appear and testify before the commission on the 1st of July 2026. The commission has set aside several days for his testimony and he is expected to testify for was long as necessary until he is excused by Justice Madlanga,” said Michaels.

Following a case management conference with Acting Deputy Judge President, Lebogang Modiba, the withdrawal of both applications is expected to be confirmed by a court order.

Meanwhile, Hawks officer, Joseph Sebola, told the commission on Monday that investigators found evidence suggesting that alleged police informant, Tumelo Nku, colluded with some Scania and Transnet employees.

The Commission is probing what now appears to be a botched drug trafficking operation allegedly involving police officials who colluded with a cartel to smuggle drugs into the country in July 2021.

It heard that among the suspected police officials involved were CIMAC commander, Marumo Magane, Gauteng Traffic chief, Samuel Mashaba, and K-9 unit officer, Steve Phakula.

The trio was allegedly acting on information received from Nku, who is said to have monitored the operation from a distance near the scene.

Sebola also told the Commission that investigators found the Scania employee believed to have been involved was in São Paulo weeks before the shipment was due to arrive in South Africa.

The police officials, along with Nku, were arrested on 9 July 2021 after a consignment with an estimated street value of R300 million was discovered at the Scania Aeroton warehouse during a search linked to the alleged trafficking operation.

The group was charged with drug dealing and defeating the ends of justice.

Sebola further said investigators found a screenshot on Nku’s cellphone indicating a drug consignment was en route to Johannesburg in July 2021.

He said the image suggested the consignment, containing more than 700 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a shipping container, left the Port of Santos in São Paulo on 30 May 2021 and arrived at Durban Harbour on 11 June 2021.

Sebola suggested the screenshot may have originated from a Transnet official allegedly in communication with Nku.

“I can maybe explain to say that this screen shot, commissioners, indicates that it comes from the harbour itself. It’s a property of Transnet. Which means someone working at Transnet captured this screen shot and forwarded it to this person,” said Sebola.

Sebola added that investigators also uncovered screenshots exchanged between an individual known as “Alpha” and Nku, arranging for the consignment’s arrival via a vessel linked to Pier 1, with Nku allegedly suggesting diversion to Pier 2 and referring to Pier 1 as “another mission impossible.”

Meanwhile, IPID Assistant Director of Investigations, Takalani Zelda Maphosho, said the implicated police officials also opened a case against the officials who arrested them.

Magane and Phakula accused the arresting officials of defeating the administration of justice.

Maphosho was also cross-examined on Monday, where she responded to questions relating to the case opened by the implicated officials at IPID.

The officials, released two weeks after their arrest, later laid charges against the officers who disrupted their operation.

The Hawks officials later implicated in the case include Gauteng Hawks head General, Ebrahim Kadwa, Acting Gauteng Hawks Brigadier, Paulina Sekgobela, West Rand Hawks Head Colonel, Francois Steyn, and Crime Intelligence head Major-General, Feroz Khan.

Maphosho told the commission that in 70% of cases referred to IPID, complaints originate from questionable sources, but said each matter is assessed and decided on merits.

Written by: Odirile Rabalao