SIBONGAKONKE SHOBA | Let’s closely watch other commissions’ revelations

Flipping through channels on the office TV, I stumbled upon a shouting match between MK Party MP David “Mazolman” Skosana and forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan. To be fair, Skosana was doing most of the shouting. The confrontation centred on whether O’Sullivan was a British spy.

At one point, O’Sullivan threatened to stop responding altogether after being labelled a spy. Skosana ended his tirade with: “Chair, what I want to say to Mr O’Sullivan is this: you are a conman, you’re a thug, you’re a thief, [and] you’re everything this country doesn’t need.” Lord knows what this added to the investigation into serious allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Some have used the platform for political posturing, while others, like Skosana and his comrades, have often deployed it to shield their flawed leader, former president Jacob Zuma.

The ad hoc committee has been reduced to a circus and one wonders whether it deserves the mainstream media coverage it receives. He alleged that elements within the police, the NPA (National Prosecuting Authority), and the judiciary were colluding with members of a drug cartel. This week’s testimony by Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya, a deputy national police commissioner, gave weight to those allegations.

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A clear link was established between Sibiya and alleged cartel member Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala. Sibiya admitted to leaking confidential police information, knowing it would eventually reach Matlala. He even conceded that he had invited Matlala to his son’s engagement party.

These revelations raise the obvious question: what are law enforcement agencies waiting for? Sibiya clearly has a case to answer. Equally important are two other inquiries unfolding simultaneously, though with far less media attention.

It is probing allegations of political interference in the prosecution of apartheid-era crimes referred to the NPA by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This week, the commission heard evidence of interference in the prosecution of apartheid officers believed responsible for the torture and disappearance of former MK operative Nothuthula Simelane, sister of human settlements minister Thembi Simelane. According to media reports, former policeman Andrew Leask testified that prosecutors were ready to proceed against Simelane’s killers when then-justice minister Bridget Mabandla ordered a halt to all TRC-related cases.

The second is the Nkabinde commission, which is investigating the conduct of suspended South Gauteng director of public prosecutions Andrew Chauke and the botched prosecution of former KZN Scorpions head Johan Booysen. Chilling details of alleged executions of crime suspects by the Cato Manor serious violent crime unit, under Booysen’s command, have emerged. In one case, members of the unit claimed that an armed suspect was shot inside his apartment before jumping through a window.

But ballistic expert Lt-Col Chris Mangena contradicted this version. He testified that the suspect’s injuries, including head wounds, were inconsistent with a fall. “A person who’s jumping would most likely land on his legs,” Mangena said.

Blood evidence inside the apartment suggested the suspect was injured indoors before falling. His testimony implied that what the police described as shootouts may in fact have been executions. Media reports indicate that across 24 crime scenes, all suspects were shot in the head, with firearms conveniently recovered.

More disturbing still are suspicions that a police unit investigating these murders may have been under illegal surveillance by the Cato Manor unit itself. Taken together, these commissions of inquiry reveal a worrying trend: political interference, police collusion with criminals, and officers acting as a law unto themselves. The revelations from the Khampepe and Nkabinde commissions show that the rot in law enforcement predates Matlala’s cosy friendships within the police service.

Meanwhile, the killings continue. As the Nkabinde commission proceeds, suspects are still being shot dead in KwaZulu-Natal. An Independent Police Investigative Directorate annual report revealed that 187 suspects were killed by the KZN police in the 2023/24 financial year. In most cases, the police claimed the suspects opened fire first, prompting retaliation.

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