A senior KwaZulu-Natal Hawks officer has apologised to the nation after admitting to serious lapses in judgement linked to the handling of a high-value drug seizure that was later stolen.
Brigadier Campbell Nyuswa, who heads the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit in the province, appeared before the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday, where he faced sustained scrutiny over his role in the failed management of a R200 million cocaine bust.
During testimony, Nyuswa acknowledged that he had approved the Port Shepstone Hawks office as the storage site for a 514-kilogram cocaine consignment—an arrangement that ultimately collapsed when the strongroom was breached and the drugs were stolen.
The decision has come under heavy criticism, with the commission questioning why such a large and sensitive exhibit was kept at a facility later shown to be vulnerable, and why junior officers were not held accountable for procedural breaches at the crime scene.
Nyuswa, who is currently on precautionary suspension, struggled to defend the operational choices made during and after the bust, as commissioners pressed him on oversight failures and breakdowns in protocol.
He told the hearing: “Commissioners, I can’t change what has happened. The only thing I can say is I am sorry to you, and I am sorry to the nation.”
The inquiry continues to probe broader issues around the handling of major drug seizures, including a separate R300 million Aeroton bust, as further witnesses are expected to testify.