A tense legal standoff between the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality in the Criminal Justice System and KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major-General Lesetja Senona erupted into public view on Wednesday, after weeks of behind-the-scenes wrangling.
The confrontation reached its climax when Senona was due to take the stand at the commission’s Pretoria hearings, only for his legal team to secure a last-minute postponement following negotiations with the commission’s evidence leaders.
The drama traces back to 29 September 2025, when Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo dropped a bombshell during sworn testimony, directly implicating Senona in allegedly sharing sensitive state information with controversial Durban businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
Khumalo told the commission that Senona had leaked confidential police intelligence to Matlala, who is accused of running one of KwaZulu-Natal’s most powerful criminal syndicates. The information, Khumalo claimed, was used to benefit Matlala’s business interests, including deals involving Senona’s son, Thato.
Earlier closed-session evidence from a protected witness known only as “Witness X” had already produced damning WhatsApp messages extracted from Matlata’s phone. The chats, dating between December 2024 and May 2025, showed Senona discussing his son’s property purchase, asking Matlala to assist with FICA documentation, and inquiring about meetings between the businessman and Thato Senona.
As soon as Khumalo’s testimony named Senona, the commission triggered its standard Rule 3 process – a formal notice compelling the implicated party to respond under oath, hand over relevant documents, and face cross-examination.
What followed was two months of fierce legal skirmishing over the scope of disclosure, procedural fairness, and whether Senona should testify at all.
On Wednesday morning, with television cameras rolling and the public gallery packed, commission evidence leader Advocate Matthew Chaskalson SC informed retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga that an agreement had finally been reached.
Under the deal:
- Senona will file a detailed sworn affidavit by 16 January 2026.
- He will appear before the commission for oral evidence and cross-examination on 27 January 2026.
Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels described the Rule 3 notice as “a routine but profoundly serious step when evidence implicates a senior official”.
Senona has not yet made any public statement on the allegations. His legal team argued that immediate testimony would prejudice his right to a fair hearing.
The postponement comes as the Madlanga Commission continues to expose what it calls “deep-rooted collusion” between elements of the police, prosecution services, and organised crime in KwaZulu-Natal. Several high-ranking officers, including suspended Deputy National Commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya, have already been linked to the same Matlala network.
Hearings resume on Thursday with further testimony on cartel infiltration of police tender processes.