South Africa's Police Corruption Drama Unfolds

An ongoing inquiry into alleged police corruption in South Africa, led by retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, has entered its "second season" with an interim report recently submitted to President Cyril Ramaphosa. The "third season" is set to begin next month. In February, senior officer Brig Rachel Matjeng testified about a canceled health services tender awarded to businessman Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala's company. Matjeng denied kickbacks but admitted a romantic relationship with Matlala, who faces 25 charges including attempted murder and is alleged to be part of a drug cartel.

The commission also scrutinized two major drug operations in 2021. In Durban, 541kg of cocaine was seized but later stolen from a poorly secured police facility. In Johannesburg, 700kg of cocaine vanished after its seizure. Senior officials highlighted numerous missteps and suspicious circumstances surrounding these incidents.

Alleged police informant Oupa "Brown" Mogotsi testified about facilitating corruption and claimed to have survived an assassination attempt. He later retracted claims about police whistleblowers being CIA spies. Mogotsi was arrested shortly after his testimony for allegedly faking the assassination attempt and is currently applying for bail. The final report from the Madlanga Commission is anticipated to be made public in August.