Criminality, political interference and corruption at SAPS – an utter disgrace!

The Madlanga Commission has exposed shocking allegations of corruption, political interference and criminality within SAPS. SHARMINI NAIDOO says that this raises urgent questions about accountability, whistleblower protection and the true cost to South Africans.

Even amid the deepening fuel crisis, the proceedings of the Madlanga Commission – also known as the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System – continue to be the most widely broadcast event on local television.

Established in July 2025, the Commission was tasked with investigating the allegations made by Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi relating to criminality, widespread state capture, political interference and corruption within our criminal justice system.

A Commission exposing deep rot

To date, we have heard testimony on the infiltration of SAPS and the “sophisticated syndicate” involving politicians, businesspeople and police officials; interference by high-ranking officials in the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT); and the unfortunate incidents of whistleblower fatalities.

The period for the Commission to complete its work
has now been extended and it will submit its final report on 31 August 2026, mainly due to the number of witnesses who still need to appear before the inquiry. The Commission has already referred several matters for immediate criminal investigation and urgent prosecutorial decisions, and made recommendations on the employment status and possible suspension of certain individuals.

Senior and Metro police officials under scrutiny

Key SAPS officials who have since been suspended or replaced as a result of the inquiry are:

• General Fannie Masemola (National Police Commissioner): Suspended over allegations regarding a R360 million procurement contract.
  • Lt. Gen. Shadrack Sibiya (Deputy National Police Commissioner): Suspended for allegedly interfering in murder investigations.
  • Semakaleng Daphney Manamela (Mpumalanga Commissioner): Suspended amid accusations of fraud and corruption.
  • Brigadier Abraham Nkhwashu (Sedibeng): Suspended over alleged criminal links and investigation interference.
  • Brigadiers Mbangwa Nkhwashu and Rachel Matjeng: Implicated in the interim report for wrongdoing.
  • Major Generals Lesetja Senona and Richard Shibiri: Named in the report regarding misconduct.
  • Sergeant Fannie Nkosi: Implicated in tender rigging and leaking information.
  • Senzo Mchunu (Police Minister): Suspended following allegations of disbanding the PKTT to protect individuals.

These Metro Police officials have also been suspended:

• Julius Mkhwanazi (EMPD Chief): Implicated in corruption and supplying blue lights to a crime boss.
  • Umashi Dhlamini (TMPD Deputy Chief): Implicated in tender rigging.

A public grown numb to corruption

As disgraceful as this all is, most South Africans were not even surprised. In fact, many of us are becoming quite apathetic these days and do not even blink as more and more layers of corruption are revealed.

The tender system in crisis

The tender adjudication process in South Africa is supposed to follow a very structured, competitive and public-sector-mandated approach aimed at ensuring fair, transparent and equitable selection. Yet bidders are often aware of who will win the tender before the process even begins! It does not seem to matter which government department issues the tender. Collusion, as in the case of the R360-million Medicare scandal involving the 12 SAPS senior officers, can break down even the best procurement system and render it useless.

In 2011/2012, it was estimated that as much as R25 to R30 billion of the annual government procurement budget was lost to tender corruption, representing a loss of roughly 20% of the state’s total annual procurement budget (and this was a conservative estimate). Between 2014 and 2017, State Capture alone was estimated to cost the country up to R250 billion. Even the Reserve Bank acknowledged that corruption severely damaged the economy and, at one time, estimated that State Capture reduced GDP growth by roughly 4% per year.

It must be mentioned that, in recent years, the authorities have managed to claw back over R11 billion in stolen assets. However, the damage has already been done and has taken funds away from other vital state priorities.

Whistleblowers continue to pay the price

How often have we heard about incidents being reported to SAPS but never investigated or acted upon, files that conveniently disappear before court proceedings or whistleblowers who are gunned down or silenced just before giving testimony? It is common knowledge that most whistleblowers have paid a hefty price, with some tragically losing their lives after coming forward to do the right thing!

In response to our other well-known Commission, the Zondo Commission, President Ramaphosa was quoted as saying, “Whistleblowing is an essential weapon in the fight against corruption. The actions of whistleblowers have played a vital role in exposing many of the activities that were part of state capture. Whistleblowers need to be encouraged to report instances of fraud and corruption and need to be protected from victimisation, prejudice, or harm…”

A new Bill to protect those who speak out

To address the inadequacies in the current legislation and protect whistleblowers, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJCD) published the Protected Disclosures Bill for public comment.

It is hoped that the new Protected Disclosures Bill will provide at least some protection to whistleblowers. According to the media statement by Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, the intention of the draft Bill is to build a legal framework that not only protects those who speak out against wrongdoing, but also actively supports and values their contribution to building an ethical and accountable society.

The existing legislation has been criticised for an absence of clear procedures for handling disclosures, insufficient protection for whistleblowers, limited support mechanisms for disclosers and a lack of coordinated systems to ensure that disclosures are effectively received and acted upon.

Strengthening protection and accountability

This Bill seeks to address these shortcomings by introducing a strengthened and more comprehensive framework for the protection of disclosers. It aims to ensure that individuals who come forward have a secure reporting channel, are protected from retaliation and supported throughout the process, and that their disclosures are handled efficiently by appropriately capacitated individuals and institutions.

The Bill introduces several important reforms, such as:

• Clear definitions for a disclosure, detrimental action and occupational detriment.
• Mechanisms to protect the confidentiality of disclosures and disclosers.
• Protection under the Witness Protection Act, 1998.
• Legal assistance to disclosers.
• The introduction of a complaints mechanism and the criminalisation of breaches of the legislation.

The Bill further provides for the establishment of a central database for disclosures to improve coordination and prevent duplication of investigations. This will be developed and maintained by the Director-General of the DoJCD, who will designate officials to oversee its operation, monitoring and functionality. Key to this is that no personal information of a discloser will be stored on the database.

The Bill also strengthens timelines and accountability in the handling of disclosures and introduces enhanced protections to ensure that no discloser suffers harm for coming forward. To incentivise whistleblowing, the Bill also introduces the possibility of financial awards in certain cases where disclosures lead to successful enforcement outcomes. Whether this Bill has the “teeth” to be effective remains to be seen, but at least it is a step in the right direction.

Fuel levy relief offers temporary respite

Lastly, here’s an update on the much-needed relief on escalating fuel prices, according to a media statement issued by the National Treasury and Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR), dated 28 April 2026:

• The temporary reduction in the general fuel levy of R3/litre was extended to Tuesday, 5 May 2026 to provide limited short-term relief to households from rising fuel prices following the Middle East conflict.
  • The temporary relief for diesel was increased by 93c to R3.93/litre (reducing the levy to zero) from 6 May to 2 June 2026. The general fuel levy for petrol will remain at R1.10/litre and the general fuel levy for diesel will be decreased from R0.93/litre to R0.00/litre.
  • For the month of June 2026, the level of relief will be halved to phase out the relief before July. As a result, the amount of relief from the general fuel levy will be reduced to R1.50/litre for petrol and R1.96/litre for diesel, effective from 3 June to 30 June 2026.
  • This will increase the general fuel levy for petrol from R1.10/litre to R2.60/litre and increase the general fuel levy for diesel from R0.00/litre to R1.97/litre.
  • From 1 July onwards, the general fuel levy for petrol will return to R4.10/litre and the general fuel levy for diesel will return to R3.93/litre.
  • The Slate levy for the under-recovery to importers for petrol and diesel costs was also adjusted for the month of May, although there was no indication of this amount at time of writing.

The true cost of plundering

Treasury estimates that the cost of the temporary fuel levy relief from April to June 2026 will be about R17.2 billion in foregone tax revenue. The fuel levy relief measure is designed to be revenue-neutral and will be funded through a combination of higher-than-expected tax revenue and underspending. The DMPR is currently reviewing the formula for the regulation of fuel prices going forward.

If only the plundering and pilfering would stop, perhaps more relief could be granted to ease the pressure on our pockets!