A commission picking up where it left off, but under darker skies
When the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry resumes this week, it does so in a very different atmosphere from just days ago. What was already a tense investigation into alleged corruption and criminal networks has been overshadowed by violence, fear and fresh delays that have rattled both the legal process and public confidence.
According to commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels, proceedings restarted on Monday morning, with the focus returning to alleged criminality and corruption in the City of Ekurhuleni. Several witnesses are expected to take the stand over the coming days as the inquiry moves deeper into its second phase.
But behind the formal language and scheduled testimonies is a sense that the stakes have become dangerously real.
Postponed testimony and growing scrutiny
One of the most closely watched figures, North West businessman and ANC member Suliman Carrim, will not testify just yet. His legal team successfully applied for a postponement last week, arguing that they had not been given sufficient time to study the evidence he is expected to respond to.
Commission chairperson Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga granted the delay, pushing Carrim’s appearance to 9 and 10 March. Carrim is required to submit an affidavit by 27 February. His situation has drawn even more attention after he urgently approached the South Gauteng High Court in an attempt to block a subpoena compelling him to testify a move that only intensified public scrutiny.
A weekend that changed the tone
The commission’s pause coincided with deeply disturbing developments. Wiandre Pretorius, who had been implicated in testimony by a key witness known as Witness D, died by suicide over the weekend. Police say the 41-year-old allegedly shot himself at a petrol station in Brakpan on Saturday.
The tragedy followed an attempted hit just days earlier. Pretorius had narrowly survived after his vehicle was struck by 16 bullets in Boksburg, in an incident that reportedly occurred in front of his partner, a police sergeant, after a dispute.
These events have amplified concerns around witness safety, fears that are no longer theoretical.
A trail of violence linked to testimony
Pretorius had been named by Witness D, Marius van der Merwe, during testimony at the commission in November last year. Van der Merwe was later shot dead outside his home in December, a killing that sent shockwaves through the inquiry.
At the time, President Cyril Ramaphosa publicly assured South Africans that witness protection would be strengthened for those appearing before the commission or mentioned during hearings. The past week has renewed questions about whether those safeguards are sufficient.
On social media, South Africans have expressed a mix of anger, fear and grim resignation, with many pointing out how rare it is for commissions of inquiry to be so closely followed by violence.
Why the Madlanga Commission matters
Established to investigate allegations of corruption, political interference and criminal conduct within SAPS and the wider criminal justice system, the Madlanga Commission delivered its interim report to President Ramaphosa in December, just three months after its first sitting in September 2025.
Phase two is expected to stretch over several months, with around a dozen witnesses still due to testify.
For many South Africans, the commission has become more than a legal exercise. It has turned into a stark reflection of how deeply crime, power and politics can intersect and how dangerous it can be to untangle them.
As proceedings resume, the country will be watching closely, not just for answers, but for reassurance that truth-seeking does not come at the cost of lives.
