By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry resumed its hearings this morning with the continuation of the testimony of Witness F at the Bridget Mabandla Justice College in Tshwane.
He works at the South African Police Service (SAPS) Gauteng division for organised crime.
At the start of the commission, chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga ruled that Witness F could be identified as Sergeant Fannie Nkosi as his name and face had been publicised in the media.
The ruling comes after the police arrested a suspect linked to Witness D, identified as Boksburg police reservist Marius van der Merwe. He testified about the controversial blue lights saga between Matlala and the Ekurhuleni police department.
“While the commission takes the safety of its witnesses seriously and will take all reasonable measures to ensure that its witnesses are not put at risk, it is clear to me that the order that he continue testifying remotely is no longer justified,” Madlanga said.
During the proceedings, Nkosi has denied discussing payments linked to the SAPS Medicare24 tender with alleged underworld figure, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
He was testifying on WhatsApp exchanges presented as evidence suggest he may have engaged Matlala about the matter.
The inquiry heard that Matlala sent Nkosi three proof-of-payment statements via WhatsApp, apparently to show that he had finally received funds after months of complaints about delayed payments.
Nkosi confirmed receiving the documents but said he merely forwarded them to suspended SAPS Head of Organised Crime Richard Shibiri and suspended Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya — officials he claims Matlala had also approached for assistance.
Although Nkosi acknowledged that Shibiri’s portfolio does not involve the administration of SAPS tenders, he said Shibiri had expressed interest in the matter after Matlala raised concerns about the delays.
Nkosi maintained that Matlala never directly sought his assistance and suggested the businessman had access to more senior contacts within SAPS who could intervene.
The sergeant also testified that he had sent a warrant of arrest for controversial blogger Musa Khawula to Matlala, claiming the pair often attended similar social events and that Matlala could alert police if he spotted him.
The commission further heard that Nkosi may have shared warrant with businessman Ze Nxumalo, whom he identified as one of the complainants in Khawula’s case alongside ANC Secretary-General, Fikile Mbalula, after Khawula insulted them on social media.
He also accused Sibiya of being untruthful that had never brought Matlala to his office in September 2024 to discuss tender payment issues.
Nkosi further disputed Sibiya’s testimony that he had not wanted impalas delivered to his home, particularly as the animals had allegedly been arranged by Matlala, who was a service provider to SAPS.
He also denied Sibiya’s assertion that they had never discussed the contents of a court application brought against him by Matlala.
Nkosi told the commission that Sibiya first met Matlala in September 2024 after the businessman requested an introduction and was subsequently granted an opportunity to meet him at SAPS headquarters.
He said he acted as an intermediary between the two men at the time and that the meeting took place weeks before Matlala was invited to Sibiya’s son’s engagement party at his farm.
The commission also heard that Nkosi relayed messages between Matlala and Sibiya regarding the delivery of impalas to the farm, but denied being directly involved in arranging the transaction.
Meanwhile Matipandile Sotheni, the man arrested in connection with the shooting of Madlanga Commission witness Marius van der Merwe, also known as “Witness D”, made a brief appearance in the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 16 March 2026.
The court, packed to capacity, heard that Sotheni, 41, faces at least six charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, murder and three counts of attempted murder, which relate to Van der Merwe’s family members.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said Sotheni was a highly trained former police officer with specialised skills, close to those of a sniper.
He joined the police force in 2005 and, in 2010, became part of the Special Task Force, where the state spent at least R1-million training him, Mathe said.
In 2019, he resigned and moved into the private sector. At the time of Van der Merwe’s shooting he was employed as a bodyguard by a wealthy family in Houghton.
The police believe the said family have no links to the murder, but rather that Sotheni carried out the hit as a “side hustle” under someone’s instructions.
“The investigation will tell us who ordered him, because we do believe that he was roped in because of his expertise. They knew he would do a clean job – only one shot killed Witness D,” said Mathe.
Van der Merwe testified before the commission about the torture and interrogation of a suspect at an unofficial site in Brakpan. He alleged that a group of Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officers, working with private security, had been involved in the suspect’s death using methods, including tubing, regarded as torture.
He implicated now-suspended EMPD chief Julius Mkhwanazi, who has emerged as a key figure in giving Matlala access to the EMPD. Through the EMPD, Matlala built a web of influence within both national and sub-national policing structures.