By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Vusi Shongwe, a member of Parliament and the MK Party appeared before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry at the Bridgette Mabandla Justice College in Tshwane.
Shongwe previously told Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee that he was called to a meeting where suspended Crime Intelligence deputy head Feroz Khan joined via video call.
He was part of the ad hoc committee – during those proceedings, as with the Madlanga Commission, Khan was referred to several times.
Khan is attached to the South African Police Service’s tumultuous Crime Intelligence unit, which has been consistently dogged by allegations of secret fund looting and corruption.
Both the Madlanga Commission and Ad Hoc committee were set up last year after KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi went public with a series of striking accusations, including that a drug cartel had infiltrated South Africa’s criminal justice sector, politics and private security.
Both these hearings have been investigating his accusations. These parallel processes have included calling witnesses to testify. While the ad hoc committee has wrapped up its witness hearings, the Madlanga Commission continues.
A parliamentary ad hoc committee, now in its final phase, conducted parallel hearings to the Madlanga Commission.
Shongwe said weeks leading up to the incident, he received warnings that he could be targeted for pursuing matters involving certain law enforcement officials and controversial figures.
He said the events unfolded after forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan’s appearance before the Ad Hoc Committee investigating corruption and criminality within South Africa’s criminal justice system.
According to Shongwe, tobacco businessman, Yusuf Kajee, later video-called Khan in his presence, allowing him to speak directly with the suspended Crime Intelligence boss.
Shongwe said that during the call, Khan invited him to his Sandton home and suggested he could “ask for anything”, which he interpreted as an attempt to win his support.
He further claimed that Kajee later urged him to stop criticising Khan and offered him a tender worth R2.2 million per month.
Shongwe told the commission he believed the pair was attempting to entrap him so they could later implicate him in wrongdoing.
He further alleged that when he later visited Khan’s Sandton residence, he was shown one of three bulletproof BMW vehicles and was told he could have one if he spoke favourably about Khan during the parliamentary inquiry.
Shongwe also testified that he was hijacked and kidnapped the night before the committee questioned alleged crime figure, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre.
Despite the incident, Shongwe said he attended the committee meeting the following day, determined to question Matlala.
He told the commission he intended to ask Matlala about allegations that a cocaine consignment seized in Aeroton had been moved to the SAPS Academy in Pretoria West instead of the Forensic Science Laboratory.
Shongwe said his allocated questioning time expired before he raise the issue with Matlala.
He further alleged that Matlala secured a tender linked to the police college to gain access to the facility and claimed Khan may have assisted with storing the drugs there without detection.
Shongwe further told the commission that Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema, opposed the proposal for Khan to appear before the committee.
He said political parties were invited to submit names of potential witnesses and although the EFF initially included Khan, Malema later argued that there was no need for him to testify.
WhatsApp messages between Khan and Mohamed Sayed, co-founder of the Carnilinx tobacco company, implicate the former Crime Intelligence head in a series of dodgy activities, including colluding with Malema.
Kyle Phillips gave Malema a R1million loan to pay his tax bill. Malema disclosed this during his legal battle with SARS. Khan’s relationship with Malema is also being investigated by the commission. He faces questions over it – and his alleged protection of Carnillinx.
Phillips is the co-director of Adriano Mazzotti’s cigarette company Carnilinx.
Shongwe further said that Khan once assaulted a colleague and that the subsequent criminal case was later abandoned.
He claimed Crime Intelligence investigator, Junaid Johnson, who had initially been assigned to investigate the matter, was promoted to brigadier before the case was dropped.
Shongwe told the commission that the promotion was linked to the handling of the investigation and further claimed Johnson’s wife, Advocate Andrea Johnson, served on the panel that selected candidates for the brigadier post.
After Shongwe testified, another witness, under the pseudonym Witness L, testified before the commission in-camera for security reasons.