Madlanga Commission Must Be Extended as More Horrifying Dirt and Names Emerge

Dennis Bloem of the Activists and Citizens Forum has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to extend the life of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. He says it is too early to end the work because fresh testimony continues to uncover deep problems in the police and the wider criminal justice system.

Bloem points to the recent evidence of businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. Matlala told the Commission that high-ranking police officers were part of criminal syndicates. He said he met former National Deputy Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya at the home of Deputy Minister Bernice Swarts together with an alleged underworld figure named Serge Cabonge. Bloem wants all three summoned so they can explain their roles.

The name of Hangwani Maumela, already linked to the Tembisa Hospital corruption case, also came up in Matlala’s testimony. Bloem expects Maumela to appear and give his side of the story. Serious claims that large sums of money changed hands between Matlala and former Police Minister Bheki Cele must also be fully examined, and Cele should be called to answer.

Mike van Wyk, the CEO of Medicare24, was named in connection with suspicious bricks that witnesses believe may have been cocaine. Bloem says van Wyk must be summoned to respond to these allegations. In addition, officers from the Johannesburg Metro Police Department have given evidence that senior colleagues maintained corrupt ties with criminals. Those implicated officers should also face the Commission.

Bloem argues that the inquiry has only scraped the surface. He describes the Madlanga Commission as the most effective inquiry the country has seen, with clear results that the public can follow. Taxpayers’ money, he says, is being well spent. For that reason the Forum asks the President to reconsider any plan to close the Commission soon. An extension, Bloem states, is necessary for the security of the country.

The Commission was set up in 2025 after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi raised concerns about criminal infiltration and political interference. Its final report deadline has already been moved more than once and now stands at 25 January 2027. Bloem’s statement comes as Matlala’s latest days of testimony continue to name senior figures and raise new questions that the Forum believes still need answers.

Source: https://x.com/ZANewsFlash/status/2121623977860759782?a=NClWJj4sr8QR-wR50e0&s=19

Jackson feedback-opera-news-app@opera.com