By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Senior Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) investigator Nomsa Masuku wrapped up her testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which is probing allegations of corruption and misconduct within the criminal justice system.
Masuku recounted that she first got involved in the case after a colleague’s call from SAPS Parktown, relaying a message that the deceased family came to complain that their son was found dead after police visited his home.
Masuku told the commission that investigations revealed that 12 people were at the scene of Emmanuel Mbhense’s murder.
Mbhense, accused in a robbery involving stolen goods, died after being assaulted by police officers. His body was found dumped in Spaarwater Dam on April 15, 2025.
Masuku told the commission that after she learnt about the case and allegations that law enforcement were implicated she looked for SAPS vehicle records to find a specific SAPS car that was at Mbhense’s home the night he went missing after police paid him a visit.
“It helped me to track a few cars and I managed to find one [SAPS] car, and I was not disappointed because I knew that police officers don’t [normally] drive alone. I had to check where [which station] it belonged to. The car belonged to the Brakpan police station,” she said.
She also discovered that a SAPS BMW was driven by Alexander Frits, a SAPS reservist who was on duty on the day in question.
Masuku said after she obtained the records she got a call from a Hawks colleague who told her that she had someone who had witnessed police murdering an individual. She later met a person who is now known as Marius van der Merwe — Witness D as referred to at the commission.
Masuku told the commission that the investigation faced several delays as Van der Merwe repeatedly warned investigators that his co-suspects are “very dangerous people”.
“As an investigator, I had to think of Marius’ safety every time we made a move to other mentioned suspects,” she said.
She said she was not happy when Van der Merwe was called to testify at the commission because she knew that could potentially derail her case and was concerned about the slain witness’s safety.
Before he was murdered in December, Witness D implicated Wiandre Pretorius in Mbhenses’ death.
Police later named Pretorius as a person of interest in that killing. Pretorius died by suicide over the weekend, days after surviving an apparent attack in which his vehicle was riddled with bullets.
The implicated EMPD officials are Julius Mkhwanazi, Adrian McKenzie, Bafana Twala, and Kesha-Lee Stals.
Etienne van der Walt is the EMPD informant who is also implicated in the murder of Mbhense.
According to national police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe, four of the 12 individuals linked to Mbhense’s killing have since died.
She says police requested that witnesses who had previously provided warning statements submit their DNA following the assassination of van der Merwe.
Masuku confirmed that the individuals cooperated and their DNA samples were compared with a control sample from Mbense’s case, yielding a positive result.
She has attached the forensic report, but requested that the information remain confidential to avoid undermining the ongoing criminal trial.
Masuku also faced alarming threats, including her vehicle being shot at with her children inside in December 2024 on M17 in Springs.
Meanwhile Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s legal team, led by Advocate Anneline van den Heever, has voiced its dissatisfaction with the challenges posed by her client’s recent relocation from Kgosi Mampuru II Maximum prison to the supermaximum eBongweni Correctional Centre in Kokstad.
This comes as the case of attempted murder and money laundering against Matlala, and his four co-accused, has been postponed to February 26 for pre-trial, following their return to the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, on Thursday.
Van der Heever further noted that the postponement will provide them with the necessary time to thoroughly evaluate the State’s evidence and disclosures ahead of the trial.
Matlala is facing 11 counts of attempted murder and a string of other charges, stemming from an alleged failed assassination attempt of his former girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane, the hit on taxi boss Joe Sibanyoni, and music producer Seunkie “DJ Vetteys” Mokubong.
He will remain at Kgosi Mampuru pending a ruling on his third bid to be granted bail, and to allow him to consult with his legal team.
The court also ordered the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to ensure that a consultation room is made available for Matlala’s legal team, free from obstructions.
Matlala’s legal team has been granted permission to bring their laptop into Kgosi Mampuru II Prison on February 16 and 17 to facilitate effective consultations.