By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Witness F, who was scheduled to continue giving evidence before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry will not appear on Monday after reporting that he was admitted to hospital.
The reason for his hospitalisation remains unclear, though evidence leaders submitted his medical records to the commission on Monday morning.
This comes after he abruptly withdrawn an urgent High Court application aimed at blocking his testimony and suppressing private WhatsApp messages seized from his phone.
Advocate Matthew Chaskalson relayed to the commission on Monday that Witness F had been hospitalized.
The medical certificate presented to the commission in Witness F’s request for a postponement state that he would not be available until at least 25 February.
Due to the prior commitments of the legal representatives, the next available date to allow Witness F to testify would be 16 March.
“As things stand, 16 March is the last day of the commission, but it is the best we can do at this stage,” Chaskalson told the commission.
He serves in Gauteng’s organised crime unit — an elite division tasked with dismantling drug syndicates and violent hijacking networks. He works under the suspended deputy police commissioner, Shadrack Sibiya.
Witness F was concerned that his testimony could result in criminal charges, but the interdict application was dismissed by commission chair Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga.
“We cannot allow Witness F to get a free ride which creates an offence under the Commission Act” the chair stated.
The commission will return on Wednesday with a new witness.
The commission has a preliminary budget of R147.9-million, including R64-million for commissioners, evidence leaders and legal researchers, R4.9-million for support staff and R78.9-million for operational logistics.
President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the creation of the Madlanga Commission after KZN commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi held a press conference on 6 July during which he made startling accusations.
These include that there was collusion between certain state figures and crime suspects, a drug cartel based in Gauteng was controlling a criminal syndicate with deep state links, and there were individuals with nefarious agendas in the country’s Crime Intelligence unit.