The inner sanctum of the South African Police Service (SAPS) is being laid bare in a stunning display of alleged corruption, with testimony painting a picture of a senior general using a trusted subordinate as a personal “bagman” for underworld cash.
Crime Intelligence Head Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo returned to the stand at the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday, delivering explosive evidence linking suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya to a web of bribes from gang bosses and criminal cartels.
The Alleged “Bagman” and the Sandhurst Mansion
At the heart of Khumalo’s testimony is Sergeant F. Nkosi, an officer stationed at SAPS headquarters in Pretoria. Khumalo alleges that Sibiya used Nkosi as a conduit to collect cash payoffs.
The evidence presented to the commission was not just verbal; it was visual. Khumalo provided the commission with CCTV footage and photographs that allegedly show Sergeant Nkosi entering the luxurious Sandhurst mansion of Katiso “KT” Molefe, a businessman currently accused of murder, on November 27 of last year.
This visual evidence aims to place a key player in the alleged bribery scheme directly at the doorstep of a high-profile figure linked to criminal activity.
A “Highly Classified” Raid and Fears of a “Big Five” Cartel
The context of this evidence is equally dramatic. Khumalo described the police operation at Molefe’s residence in 2024 as a “highly classified” joint mission between Gauteng counterintelligence and the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT). Crucially, he revealed that the Hawksthe Directorate for Priority Crime Investigationwere deliberately kept out of the loop.
The reason? A deep-seated fear of leaks. Khumalo stated that investigators believed elements within the elite Hawks unit were compromised by criminal interests.
This fear appeared to be validated when, despite the operation’s secrecy, Hawks operatives rushed to Molefe’s mansion. They had been tipped off that the raid was being conducted by “bogus police.” Khumalo testified that this incident confirmed their suspicions of internal infiltration by what he referred to as the “Big Five” cartel.
He further alleged that an officer known only as “Zungu,” from the Hawks’ Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS), was “working closely with cartel members.”
The testimony points to a police service at war with itself, where high-stakes investigations are potentially sabotaged from within. As Khumalo continues his testimony, the commission seeks to untangle the full extent of Shadrack Sibiya’s alleged relationships with the very criminals he was tasked with stopping.
