Madlanga Commission | Nku declines to identify source behind July 2021 drug bust

Alleged police informant and businessman, Tumelo Nku, has declined to reveal the identity of the source who allegedly informed him about the drug consignment discovered in Aeroton, south of Johannesburg in July 2021.

Nku testified before the Madlanga Commission on Thursday, where he was questioned about his alleged role in the operation, during which approximately 715 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated street value of R300 million, was discovered concealed in a shipping container from São Paulo, Brazil.

Nku is alleged to have been the informant who alerted police to the shipment.

Commission evidence leader, Advocate Tebogo Mosikili, questioned Nku on why he disclosed the existence of his source only in a supplementary statement and not in his original statement to investigators.

Nku maintained that the supplementary statement provided additional detail at the commission’s request.

“Commissioners, as I have already alluded, my original statement was considered too brief and I was advised to provide more detail. The supplementary statement addressed the issues the commission wanted clarified,” said Nku.

The commission also heard that Nku, suspended Gauteng Traffic Chief, Samuel Mashaba, Zonkizizwe Crime Information Management and Analysis Centre (CIMAC) commander, Marumo Magane, and South African Police Service (SAPS) K9 unit officer, Steve Phakula, were arrested following the seizure on charges including drug dealing and defeating the ends of justice.

While the group maintains they were conducting a legitimate police operation, Deputy Crime Intelligence head, Major General Feroz Khan, has said that they were acting in their personal capacities.

Khan said the cocaine had been loaded onto Magane’s unmarked official bakkie before police prevented it from leaving the scene.

The commission also heard evidence from Witness J, who testified in camera and alleged that Nku is not a businessman, as he claims, but a drug dealer.

Nku denied any wrongdoing, telling the commission he was present only to monitor the success of the operation.

He said he remained about 500 metres away from the scene because, in previous cases, he had supplied intelligence to police only to be told nothing had come of it, before later seeing successful operations reported in the media.

Nku also testified that he had previously provided intelligence to Mashaba, which he believes led to a successful police operation, despite later being told nothing had come of it.

He clarified his earlier remarks about payment for intelligence, saying that while he expects to be rewarded when information leads to successful operations, trust and a working relationship with law enforcement must first be established.

Nku further revealed that he had previously been paid by an international law enforcement agency for intelligence he had supplied.

However, the commission heard that he has never been registered as a police informant in South Africa.

When asked to identify the foreign agency, Nku said he was prepared to do so only during a closed session.

Nku maintained that although he has supplied intelligence to South African law enforcement agencies on numerous occasions, he has never received payment from them.

He told the commission he provided information in the expectation that credible intelligence leading to successful operations could ultimately qualify for a reward.

Written by: Odirile Rabalao