Author: Kgaogelo Magolego

The Madlanga Commission has criticised controversial blogger Musa Khawula for making public his communications with its officials. Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said discussions with persons of interest and potential witnesses are intended to remain strictly confidential to protect those involved. Michaels addressed the media during a doorstep briefing following the commission’s adjournment on Wednesday. “We certainly do not want to engage in public discussion on individual matters between the Commission and those concerned,” Michaels said. “In this instance, the individual chose to go public and share his account. For our part, we will not respond to that discussion in public.…

The Madlanga Commission has continued to encounter difficulty obtaining clear responses from suspended deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, whose testimony entered a fifth day marked by repeated evasiveness. Sibiya struggled to explain why he shared confidential police documents with Fannie Nkosi, whom the commission believes acted as an intermediary between him and alleged criminal Cat Matlala. According to the commission, Nkosi allegedly passed the files on to Matlala. Sibiya initially defended the action on the basis that Nkosi is a police officer, before later suggesting the documents were already in the public domain — arguments rejected by the commission.…

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has been rocked by findings of widespread corruption involving officials who allegedly facilitated the unlawful entry and naturalisation of foreign nationals. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) released the findings during a joint media briefing, revealing that foreign nationals who benefited from fraudulent activities collectively earned about R181 million through employment and business activities over a 20-year period. According to SIU head Leonard Lekgetho, the investigation followed a whistleblower’s allegations that foreign nationals were fraudulently obtaining asylum seeker permits, which were later used to secure permanent residence and ultimately citizenship. Authorities conducted search-and-seizure operations at…

Senior police leadership has closed ranks amid persistent allegations that high-ranking officers underwent cosmetic procedures allegedly funded by suspected criminal mastermind Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. At a media briefing in Pretoria on Friday to announce crime statistics, National Commissioner Major-General Fannie Masemola invited Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia to stand and defend General Khosi Senthumule, the Deputy National Commissioner responsible for forensics, who is the latest senior official to be linked to Matlala. Another of Masemola’s deputies, Shadrack Sibiya — currently suspended over alleged ties to the underworld — implicated Senthumule while testifying before the Madlanga Commission. He alleged that she…

The controversy over alleged Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) payments continues to dog the South African Police Service (SAPS), as investigations into cartel infiltration of the criminal justice system unfold. Suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya has reignited the debate, claiming that his fellow deputy, Lieutenant General Khosi Senthumule, received a butt lift funded by alleged criminal mastermind Vusimuzi Cat Matlala. Sibiya raised the allegation during his testimony at the Madlanga Commission, seemingly aiming to shift attention toward Senthumule, whom he feels betrayed by. “I am advised that it has been alleged that Generals in Tumula personally benefited from Matlala…

Suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya has attributed his current legal troubles to what he describes as political interference and populist tactics by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Sibiya claims the controversy began on 6 July 2025, when Mkhwanazi held a widely publicised media briefing alleging that drug cartels had infiltrated South Africa’s criminal justice system. Those claims triggered a series of investigations, including the establishment of the Madlanga Commission. He further referenced his appearance before Parliament’s ad hoc committee established to probe the allegations, singling out the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) as having used the platform to target…

The ANC has singled out senior officials in the City of Tshwane Metro, accusing the City Manager, the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief of Police of presiding over widespread corruption and nepotism within the municipality. During a media briefing in Pretoria, the ANC Regional Executive identified the accounting officer, Johan Mettler, CFO Gareth Mnisi and TMPD Chief Yolande Faro in connection with a series of allegations. These include claims that recruitment processes are being flouted to favour preferred candidates and that irregular dealings with service providers have taken place. ANC Tshwane Regional Secretary George Matjila raised concerns about the…

The African National Congress (ANC) has raised concerns that some service providers may be deliberately damaging infrastructure in and around Pretoria to create business opportunities for themselves. Speaking at a media briefing in the capital, the ANC Tshwane Regional Executive Committee said the city is currently spending substantial amounts on emergency repairs for infrastructure damaged under questionable circumstances. “We are of the view that some of these incidents are orchestrated as money-making schemes — acts of sabotage so that certain companies can be appointed. We must investigate how and why this is happening. We cannot allow this to continue unabated,”…

Fundraising efforts are underway to assist the family of 22-year-old e-hailing driver Isaac Satlat, who was tragically killed during a hijacking. His family plans to take his body back to Nigeria for burial. The attack, captured on dashcam, went viral and shocked communities across South Africa. Satlat’s alleged killers — Dikeledi Mphela, Goitsione Machidi, and McClaren Mushwana — made a brief appearance at the Pretoria Magistrates Court, where their case was postponed to 23 February. Speaking on behalf of the family, spokesperson Solomon Ashos explained that Isaac had only his father in South Africa, while his mother and siblings remain…

The Madlanga Commission has heard further disturbing testimony detailing alleged brazen criminality within the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD). Appearing before the commission on Friday, Thulani Magagula, Director of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), accused the metro police department of routinely allowing officers facing serious criminal charges to remain on duty. Magagula told the commission that, based on IPID’s experience with EMPD, the department would often receive investigation reports, register them internally, and then take no meaningful disciplinary action. Instead, IPID would proceed with criminal investigations independently, with departmental consequences only following once a court had secured a conviction.…