By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Gauteng Traffic Police official Chief Samuel Mashaba conceded that a historical WhatsApp message referencing “DD” was a direct mention of the late former Deputy President David “DD” Mabuza.
This admission came after days of intense cross-examination.
Mashaba had initially denied the association and claimed the initials referred to a different deceased politician.
Evidence leader Advocate Lee Segeels-Ncube pushed him on this again on Friday, asking whether he accepted that they had put it to him that he was referring to Mabuza.
Mashaba said: “I accept.”
Commission chair Mbuyiseli Madlanga then asked him: “You accept the late deputy president used to be referred to by some as DD?”
Mashaba, who had a sudden coughing bout, replied in between clearing his throat: “Oh, yes, yes.”
He seemed to have a tough time answering questions put to him, sometimes saying he could not recall the context behind messages that he had previously received and sent.
At some point on Friday, commission chair Madlanga said to him: “You are being untruthful.”
Mashaba was called as a witness to the commission because he was among four individuals arrested several years ago in connection with a R286-million cocaine interception.
That cocaine consignment was shipped from Brazil to Durban while concealed in Scania truck parts.
From Durban, it was transported to Aeroton, a Johannesburg industrial area, where it was controversially intercepted on 9 July 2021.
The four arrested over this were Mashaba; local businessman Tumelo Nku; Warrant Officer Marumo Magane of the Zonkizizwe Police Station in Gauteng; and Warrant Officer Steve Phakula, a National Investigation Unit member.
There were some suspicions that instead of intercepting the cocaine in a proper crackdown, as they said, the four had intended to sneak the consignment to an undisclosed location before other police officers arrived at the Aeroton scene.