Madlanga Commission Day 1: General Mkhwanazi Reveals Syndicate Operations

General Links Criminal Syndicate to Political Killings as Commission Reveals Scope of Corruption Crisis

PRETORIA, 17 Sept 2025 - Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi delivered devastating testimony on the opening day of the Madlanga Commission, connecting a sophisticated criminal syndicate to political assassinations while warning that South Africa's justice system faces "total collapse" if corruption is not addressed.

The highly anticipated commission, led by Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, officially kicked off at 10:00 AM at the Bridget Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria, with Mkhwanazi as the star witness of phase one proceedings that will set the tone for what could become the most significant corruption investigation in South Africa's democratic history.

THE FOUNDATION: A CAREER DEDICATED TO JUSTICE

Mkhwanazi began his testimony by establishing his credentials and deep commitment to law enforcement, detailing his service to the South African Police Service that began in 1993 and continued through the transition to SAPS in 1995.

READ: Lt. General Mkhwanazi Warns of Collapse in South Africa’s Justice System at Madlanga Commission | NewsInSA News

The General methodically explained the police ranking system and operational structures, emphasizing how difficult it should be for criminal elements to infiltrate such a hierarchical organization - making the current corruption allegations even more alarming.

THE WARNING: DEMOCRACY AT RISK

In his opening statements, Mkhwanazi delivered a stark warning that resonated through the commission chamber: the criminal justice system faces a potential threat that could lead to total collapse without immediate intervention.

Justice Madlanga reinforced the gravity of the situation, warning that if the allegations prove true, "it would spell doom for the rule of law in South Africa." This is not hyperbole - it represents a fundamental threat to constitutional democracy itself.

As legal analyst Rumezi Piri noted: "If you subvert these key players in the criminal justice system in South Africa, what you're left with in this constitutional democracy is a space without the rule of law."

THE CRIMINAL NETWORK EXPOSED

Following the lunch adjournment, Mkhwanazi's testimony became explosive as he detailed the operations of what he described as a sophisticated organized crime syndicate. The General placed two key figures at the center of this network:

KATISO MOLEFE - Facing serious criminal charges and identified as a central figure in the alleged syndicate VUSIMUZI "VUSI CAT" MATLALA - Also facing serious charges and connected to multiple corruption cases.

READ: Mkhwanazi Exposes Coordinated Campaign to Destroy Political Killings Task Team | Pointing at Minister Senzo Mchunu and Parliamentarian Fadiel Adams

THE ASSASSINATION PATTERN

Mkhwanazi revealed a chilling pattern connecting political killings to government contract corruption. He testified that these were not random murders but systematic assassinations designed to protect tender fraud.

THE COMMON THREAD: Every killing was "linked significantly to the awarding of tenders" and connected to "alleged corruption involved in these tenders."

SPECIFIC CASE HIGHLIGHTED: The tragic murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart, where Mkhwanazi detailed the involvement of former detective Michael Pule Tau and his alleged links to the broader criminal syndicate.

This revelation demonstrates how the corruption network infiltrated law enforcement itself, turning police officers into assassins to protect criminal enterprises.

THE POLITICAL KILLINGS TASK TEAM SUCCESS

Mkhwanazi detailed the remarkable success of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) in KwaZulu-Natal, a province where political violence has been a persistent problem both during and after apartheid.

The task team's effectiveness in securing arrests of key syndicate figures - particularly Molefe and Matlala - appeared to trigger its controversial disbandment.

THE SUCCESS THAT SEALED THEIR FATE: The task team's success in arresting central figures in the criminal network led directly to its dissolution, suggesting that powerful forces wanted these investigations stopped.

THE MINISTERIAL INTERFERENCE

The most politically explosive testimony centered on suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu's role in disbanding the successful task team.

MKHWANAZI'S DAMNING ALLEGATIONS:

• Mchunu had "no right" to disband the political killings task team
• The disbandment "went far beyond his scope" of authority
• Ministers deal with policy, not operational aspects of SAPS
• The disbandment was orchestrated by "a third hand associated with this alleged sophisticated organized crime syndicate"

READ: General Mkhwanazi Accuses Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of Political Interference

THE CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS

Mkhwanazi's testimony revealed a constitutional crisis in the making. The PKTT was formed by an interministerial committee, yet one minister - Mchunu - allegedly disbanded it without consulting other relevant ministers.

THE LEGAL PROBLEM: If the task team was established by presidential directive through an interministerial process, one minister cannot unilaterally disband it without consultation.

The commission has requested that interministerial committee minutes be declassified - a move that could provide documentary evidence of Mchunu's alleged overreach.

THE LETTER THAT DAMNS

During testimony, a letter from Mchunu was read to the commission describing the PKTT as "something which adds no value to policing in South Africa."

This characterization is particularly damaging given the task team's documented success in arresting key figures in the criminal syndicate that Mkhwanazi alleges has been killing people to protect corruption.