The Big Five drug cartel. WhatsApp exchanges between alleged drug cartel member Vusimuzii “Cat” Matlala and government officials. Illness of crime intelligence boss Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo. Adv Terry Motau SC stepping down as chief evidence leader.
These are some of the incidents that dominated this week’s proceedings at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into criminality, political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system.
The commission is chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga. It is taking place at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria.
This week, the commission entered the third week of its work and started its proceedings with South African Police Service (SAPS) Divisional Commissioner Khumalo taking the stand to testify.
Khumalo, the national head of crime intelligence and project leader of the KwaZulu-Natal SAPS political killings task team, testified on Monday and Tuesday at the commission.
Big Five drug cartel
In his testimony, Khumalo said there is a “Big Five” drug cartel in South Africa that operates nationally and internationally. He said the cartel, which consists of five individuals, has its head office in Gauteng.
Khumalo said Matlala and murder-accused Katiso “KT” Molefe are members of the drug cartel. He said the other three members are known to police and are being “addressed”.
He said the cartel also deals in contract killings and cross-border vehicle hijackings. Also kidnappings, tender frauding, and extortion, mainly related to drug trafficking.
Khumalo said police have records of WhatsApp chats which show communication between alleged drug cartel member Matlala and some government officials. Amongst others, Khumalo said that KZN Hawks head Maj-Gen Lesetja Senona leaked confidential, sensitive police information to Matlala via WhatsApp.
He said there are WhatsApp exchanges between Matlala and Ekurhuleni metro police department acting chief Julius Mkhwanazi. Mkhwanazi is currently on special leave.
Khumalo showed the commission WhatsApp exchanges between police minister Senzo Mchunu’s comrade Brown Mogotsi and Matlala. Mchunu is on special leave.
Politicians implicated
The communication between Matlala and Mogotsi showed that Matlala paid for the flights and accommodation of eight ANC members linked to Mogotsi so that they can attend the ANC’s presidential gala dinner that took place in Cape Town on January 10 this year. Khumalo said he believes an organised criminal cartel influenced the ministry of police to take a decision to disband the KZN SAPS political killings task team.
Khumalo was supposed to continue with his testimony on Wednesday and for the rest of the week.
However, during the start of the proceedings on Wednesday morning, Madlanga said around 9:03am, Khumalo said he was not feeling well. The proceedings were immediately adjourned for the day.
The commission’s spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said the commission will resume its public hearings on October 13.
“The Commission will be taking a scheduled break from 6 to 10 October 2025 due to the unavailability of Commissioner [Adv] Sesi Baloyi [SC], who will be attending to her duties as a member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC),” said Michaels.
“This week the Commission’s public hearings would have continued until Friday, 3 October
2025. But when the hearing resumed at 09h30 today (Wednesday), Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga adjourned it due to the inability of Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo to proceed with his testimony as a result of sudden illness,” said Michaels.
National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said Khumalo is receiving the best medical care. He is in good spirits after feeling unwell on Wednesday morning.
Advocate Terry Motau
Meanwhile, Michaels said Adv Terry Motau SC has stepped down from his role as chief evidence leader of the commission and “has left the commission on good terms”.
“The commission is grateful for the service Adv Motau SC rendered,” said Michaels.
He said one of the commission’s evidence leaders, Adv Matthew Chaskalson SC, has been appointed as new chief evidence leader of the commission.
“The commission will not be discussing this matter any further as it can only serve to distract it from the task at hand,” said Michaels.
The commission was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 13 after KZN police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s explosive media briefing on July 6. He said politicians in parliament, police officers, metro police officers, correctional service officials, prosecutors and members of the judiciary in Gauteng are part of a criminal syndicate in Gauteng. And they are controlled by drug cartels and business people in Gauteng.
