In a tense moment at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into criminality, political interference, and corruption in South Africa’s criminal justice system, National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola was abruptly cut off mid-sentence, leaving observers wondering what revelations he might have shared about the stalled investigation into the 2021 assassination of whistleblower Babita Deokaran. The interruption came from Commission Chair Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga himself, who deemed the details irrelevant to Masemola’s response, but it has ignited public speculation and demands for full disclosure.
The exchange unfolded on Monday during Masemola’s testimony at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria. As the second major witness following KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s explosive three-day appearance, Masemola was fielding questions on operational challenges within the South African Police Service (SAPS). When the topic veered toward the Deokaran case, a high-profile murder that exposed alleged tender fraud in the Gauteng health department, Masemola appeared poised to elaborate. Deokaran, a senior official known for her role in flagging irregularities worth millions, was gunned down in a brazen daylight hit outside her Johannesburg home in August 2021. The case has become a symbol of the dangers faced by corruption fighters, with four suspects, including a convicted hitman, facing charges, but the masterminds remain at large.
This interruption was just one flashpoint in a day marked by contradictions that left the panel visibly baffled. Masemola faced rigorous scrutiny over his handling of directives from Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who is on special leave amid related controversies. The commissioner admitted to complying with Mchunu’s order to disband the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), despite viewing it as an unlawful encroachment on his authority. Masemola later conceded the immense pressure from the minister made outright defiance “career-limiting,” underscoring the delicate power dynamics between SAPS leadership and political overseers.
Compounding the frustration was the commission’s apparent sidestepping of another bombshell from Mkhwanazi’s testimony: allegations of direct interference by the Presidency in SAPS operations. Last week, Mkhwanazi detailed how, in 2021, he deployed five detectives to Richards Bay in northern KwaZulu-Natal to probe a spate of murders targeting executives at Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), a major titanium and zircon producer. The cases included the killing of general manager Nico Swart, amid threats linked to labor unrest and extortion rackets plaguing the mining sector. After a year with limited breakthroughs, Mkhwanazi recalled the team to Durban for cost efficiencies, only to receive a call from Masemola. The national commissioner, Mkhwanazi claimed, had been lobbied by the Presidency to redeploy not just detectives, but elite units like the SAPS Task Force and National Intervention Unit (NIU), specialized tactical teams ill-suited for investigative work, exclusively to safeguard RBM interests.
“RBM had the privilege of getting a SAPS deployment only for them, funded from the national office,” Mkhwanazi testified, estimating significant costs borne by taxpayers to protect a private entity while broader community policing suffered. He portrayed the move as undue favoritism, suggesting high-level contacts within government shielded the company from wider scrutiny into regional violence. Mkhwanazi’s account painted a picture of a police force bent to serve corporate and political agendas, eroding public trust in an already strained institution.
Remarkably, during Masemola’s session, the commissioners posed no probing questions on this claim, allowing it to linger unaddressed. Masemola was expected to tackle the allegation head-on, given his direct involvement, but the hearing pivoted to other matters, leaving a vacuum of accountability.