The Madlanga Commission will this week continue hearings focused on drug seizures where senior police officials have been implicated in the theft and disappearance of narcotics worth hundreds of millions of rands from law enforcement storage facilities.
The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System is examining drug seizures by South African law enforcement agencies and the subsequent handling and theft of narcotic substances in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
“This is a continuation of the testimony of several witnesses last week, including the in-camera evidence of Witness H on Friday, 8 May,” spokesperson for the commission Jeremy Michaels said on Sunday.
This week’s public hearings (11-15 May) will be the last week of public testimony before the commission breaks to focus on its second interim report, which is due to be delivered to President Cyril Ramaphosa on 29 May.
Major cocaine heist exposed
During hearings last week, the commission heard damning evidence about the systematic theft of narcotics from police facilities, with the most significant case involving 541 kg of cocaine valued at approximately R200 million that was stolen from Hawks premises in Port Shepstone five months after its initial seizure in June 2021.
Evidence presented to the commission suggests the theft was “by design” rather than a random criminal act. Witnesses testified that the sequence of events following the drug seizure appeared intentional, with preliminary investigations raising suspicions of poor security protocols and possible insider involvement.
The commission heard that people appeared to know exactly where the drugs were kept when the theft occurred, supporting claims of a targeted operation involving law enforcement personnel.
Senior Hawks officials implicated
Testimony has directly implicated high-ranking Hawks officials in irregular handling and storage decisions related to the cocaine exhibits. KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major General Lesetja Senona was named in evidence about questionable decisions regarding the storage of the drugs at the Port Shepstone facility.
Brigadier Campbell Nyuswa, who was head of the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation unit at the time, was also cited in testimony relating to instructions about storing and relocating the drugs.
Security failures exposed
The commission heard evidence that the Port Shepstone facility was vulnerable and unsuitable for storing such quantities of drugs. Senior officials allegedly had knowledge of these security shortcomings but failed to take appropriate action.
Witnesses testified that the storage facility had been broken into multiple times between 2011 and 2021, yet it continued to be used for housing high-value drug exhibits.
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Intelligence led to the discovery of the cocaine in June 2021 after information about a suspicious shipment at the Isipingo Depot, south of Durban. The drugs were subsequently moved to various facilities before ending up at the Hawks’ Port Shepstone premises, where they were stolen in November 2021.
In-camera testimony
On Friday, 8 May, the commission heard testimony from Witness H in a closed session with no public video or audio feed. The witness testified about a separate drug seizure at Durban harbour on 22 June 2024, its handling and storage at the Hawks office in Port Shepstone, and the subsequent theft of those drugs.
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Evidence leaders had applied for the testimony to be heard behind closed doors, arguing that public disclosure could alert suspects, facilitate destruction of evidence, compromise investigative strategies, and potentially undermine ongoing investigations and future prosecutions.
No disciplinary action taken
Despite the scale of the theft and evidence of security failures, the commission heard that no disciplinary steps have been taken against officials responsible for the Port Shepstone facility where the cocaine was stolen.
The commission, chaired by Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, continues to investigate criminality, political interference and corruption within South Africa’s criminal justice system, with the drug seizure cases highlighting systemic vulnerabilities in law enforcement operations.
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