Madlanga Commission - The African Mirror

Jul

06

2026

The Gallery of Rogues

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IT has become a grim, almost daily ritual: a senior police officer, a metro official or a well-connected businessman is named, suspended, arrested or fired, and South Africa's roll call of the disgraced grows a little longer. Nine months into its work, the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System — chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga and popularly known simply as the Madlanga Commission - has done what countless commissions before it failed to do: it has produced consequences while it is still sitting. What began in July 2025…

Jun

19

2026

By The African Mirror

South Africa launches major purge of corrupt police after Madlanga Commission — Mashatile vows prosecutions, vetting and task teams

NEWS

DEPUTY President Paul Mashatile told Parliament on Thursday that the government has launched a major drive to purge corrupt elements from the South African Police Service (SAPS) after the Madlanga Commission exposed widespread misconduct — a move that marks one of the most far-reaching accountability efforts in the security sector since the commission’s report. Speaking in response to a question on the prevention of corruption at SAPS, Mashatile said the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster has begun implementing “corrective actions” aimed at detecting and preventing corruption across the police service. The actions, he said, include strengthened investigations, tighter…

Feb

13

2026

By The African Mirror

“My son was shot”: The unseen warriors fighting South Africa’s battle against corruption

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE auditorium at the Bridgette Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria fell silent as Nomsa Masuku's voice cracked. Her hands trembled slightly as she recounted the moment that changed everything - the day her son was shot, the day a bullet meant for her instead shattered his spine and left him fighting to walk again. This is the price of integrity in South Africa. This is what it costs to stand between corruption and justice. But here's what makes this story even more chilling, more grotesque, more symptomatic of the rot eating away at the nation's foundation: the people who shot…

Jan

30

2026

By The African Mirror

SA: President orders criminal probes against 5 police officers, 9 municipal officials

NEWS

FIVE senior South African Police Service officers and nine current and former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality employees face criminal investigations and potential prosecution after President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday directed law enforcement agencies to act on recommendations from the Madlanga Commission. The directive follows the submission of an interim report by the Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, which found prima facie evidence of wrongdoing, including corruption, fraud, murder, and perjury. Among the SAPS officers referred for investigation are Major General Lesetja Senona, Major General Richard Shibiri, Brigadier Mbangwa Nkhwashu, Brigadier Rachel Matjeng,…

Dec

10

2025

By JOVIAL RANTAO

The spectacular self-immolation of Senzo Mchunu

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THERE are many ways a politician can end their career. A sex scandal. A corruption conviction. A spectacular policy failure. But Senzo Mchunu has chosen a path far more excruciating: death by a thousand self-inflicted wounds, delivered live on national television, with millions watching him tie the noose, kick away the chair, and then helpfully explain why gravity is actually quite misunderstood. Welcome to the Madlanga Commission, where South Africa's suspended Police Minister has been treating us to a masterclass in political self-destruction so comprehensive, so thoroughly executed, that one almost has to admire the commitment to the craft. There…

Dec

03

2025

By JOVIAL RANTAO

SA: The unravelling of “uMama”: When the makeup, lipstick came off

NEWS

SHE arrived like a woman prepared for her close-up. Red lipstick: applied. Hair: coiffed to perfection. Nails: immaculate. Confidence: overflowing. Dr Imogen Mashazi, the former municipal manager of Ekurhuleni - affectionately known as "uMama" (Mother) in her glory days - took her seat at the Madlanga Commission with all the poise of someone who'd never heard the word "accountability" before. For context, the Madlanga Commission, established by South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, has spent 40 days wading through the cesspool that various witnesses have lovingly nicknamed the "Den of Criminals" (previously known as the City of Ekurhuleni). And now it…

Nov

25

2025

By AMANDA GOUWS and JOSEPH AYODELE KUPOLUSI

South Africans have lost trust in the police, in parliament and in political parties – what that means

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

FOR democracies to function well, citizens have to trust their institutions. Every incidence of bad service delivery or corruption will influence how much citizens trust institutions. The latest incident that will most likely shake confidence in South Africa’s political system, and specifically the police and the criminal justice system, is the accusation by General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, provincial commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal province, that members of these institutions are involved in organised crime. The accusations are being investigated by the Madlanga Commission and heard in parliament by an ad hoc committee. General Mkhwanazi alleged that the police minister, other members of the…

Nov

17

2025

By JOVIAL RANTAO

The iron lady’s iron grip: The rise and fall of Ekurhuleni’s “Mother of corruption”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

They called her "uMama" - Mother. How touching. How appropriate. After all, what is motherhood if not nurturing, protecting, and ensuring your children thrive? And thrive they did under Dr Imogen Mashazi's watchful eye, particularly one Julius Mkhwanazi, who loved his "mother" so much he publicly declared at a 2023 Christmas party: "I will take a bullet for you." One wonders: was that bullet meant for investigators, whistleblowers, or merely the truth? On July 17, 2025, at the luxurious Radisson Hotel & Convention Centre in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni's first female city manager celebrated her 65th birthday and retirement with hugs,…

Sep

24

2025

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

SA Police Commissioner Corroborates Explosive Cartel Infiltration Claims

NEWS

SOUTH AFRICA'S Criminal justice system faces its gravest crisis in decades after the country's top police officer delivered damning testimony that fully corroborated shocking allegations first made public three months ago - confirming that criminal syndicates have systematically infiltrated the highest echelons of law enforcement leadership. National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola concluded two days of explosive testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday, providing concrete evidence that validates the watershed allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi at a press conference on July 6, 2025, that initially shocked the nation. KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner…

Sep

06

2025

By JOVIAL RANTAO

Justice cannot wait for a Madlanga Commission: Masemola, not Cachalia, is the Police Commissioner

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

South Africans deserve clarity, and operational police work is not, and must never be, subject to political whims. Yet Acting Minister Firoz Cachalia seems determined to wrongly insert himself into matters that are none of his business. His recent public criticism of Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola's decision to return the infamous 121 dockets to the Task Team is a dangerous precedent that strikes at the heart of police independence. Masemola did what any responsible police commissioner should: he restored the dockets to the unit charged with investigating them properly. These files were previously misappropriated by suspended Police Minister Senzo…