Leaked chats, murder claims and Malema: What the Madlanga papers allege about Maj‑Gen Feroz Khan

New court papers released publicly this week from the Madlanga Commission set out a string of allegations linking Major‑General Feroz Khan, alleged tobacco smugglers, politicians and suspected criminal operatives. The documents, filed in the Johannesburg High Court, outline claims drawn from material seized from Khan’s phones and a hard drive and anticipate his scheduled appearance before the commission on 1 July.

What the papers set out

The commission’s filings, based largely on an affidavit by investigator Tshepo Nyatlo, allege that Khan shared confidential SAPS documents and police intelligence with associates including alleged tobacco smuggler Mohammed “Mo” Sayed. The seized devices are said to contain downloaded WhatsApp messages that the commission reviewed.

The papers claim Khan leaked top‑secret police files including the name and private home address of the VBS complaints curator Anoosh Rooplal and that he communicated with Sayed about internal tender decisions, officer travel plans, and crime intelligence briefings.

Alleged links to the tobacco trade and political figures

Nyatlo’s affidavit alleges links between the Carnilinx tobacco company, Sayed, and the EFF. It states that Carnilinx donated R650,000 to the EFF to enable party registration and that the late Kyle Phillips of Carnilinx advanced R1m to Julius Malema to settle a tax debt. The affidavit also says Carnilinx owner Adriano Mazzotti regularly made his Sandton penthouse available to Malema and that Malema and his family lived in a house rented to him by Mazzotti.

The documents allege Sayed used inside information to target competing cigarette companies and that Khan approved or shared material about operations against rivals such as Gold Leaf Tobacco and Protobac. The papers quote chat extracts in which Sayed expresses intent to put a competitor “out of sight” and Khan replies, “Ok bro.”

Parliamentary questions and political protection

According to the affidavit, Khan drafted questions to be posed in Parliament by the EFF aimed at trapping the then Inspector‑General of Intelligence Isaac Dintwe, with the stated purpose of seeking his removal. The papers include chat extracts in which Khan describes the plan as designed to produce a dishonest answer so removal could be demanded.

The commission also sets out messages suggesting Malema promised support to Khan. In one quoted exchange, Sayed relayed a voice note from Malema: “Your things are coming along very nicely… it’s going to happen for sure.” In another message quoted in the papers, Malema is reported as saying Khan “will not ever resign this is a fight.”

Allegations surrounding violent incidents

The court papers describe evidence heard by the commission linking the late Wiandre Pretorius and others to the torture and death of Emmanuel Mbense. The commission documents quote testimony that Pretorius described as someone who sometimes presented himself as a SAPS member was involved in suffocating and beating Mbense to death and that Pretorius said Khan should be contacted about disposing of the body.

The affidavit notes Pretorius died in February after shooting himself at a petrol station in Brakpan. The commission also records testimony from the late Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe, who said he and Pretorius were part of a group involved in Mbense’s killing.

Tenders, messaging about proceeds and other claims

Nyatlo’s affidavit sets out further allegations of corrupt tender dealings. It claims Khan and Sayed were connected to arrangements around a proposed R280m Treasury tender awarded to a company called Cyberia. The affidavit records that Sayed messaged Khan about the proposed R280m contract, saying they would get approximately R92.4m about 30% which he said would be split equally three ways. The affidavit names companies such as Smada as allegedly being used to facilitate payments.

The papers also allege collusion involving a former National Treasury official, identified as Lt‑Gen Molefe Fani, who was said to have overseen contracts and who has since been moved to a senior SAPS supply chain role and is currently suspended in relation to a separate tender matter.

Legal steps and commission process

The sequence of events the documents record begins with public allegations in July 2025 about syndicate infiltration in SAPS and the establishment of the Madlanga Commission later that month. The papers note a criminal case opened against Khan at OR Tambo and describe SAPS searches of Khan’s home and the handover of forensic extraction reports to the commission recently.

Khan launched an urgent court bid to block the messages from being made public but withdrew his application, after which the commission filed selected chats in court as part of its papers.

What comes next

The Madlanga Commission’s court papers invite Khan to answer the allegations under oath in a replying affidavit and set out the matters the commission says it will probe ahead of his scheduled appearance on 1 July. The documents released to the public form part of the commission’s inquiry into alleged criminality, political interference and corruption connected to components of the criminal justice system.

Sources: Gauteng High Court · Case No. 2026-125753 · Answering & Supporting Affidavits

Editor’s note: This draft was updated to reflect that the court papers were released publicly this week; to specify that the affidavit notes Pretorius died in February after shooting himself at a petrol station in Brakpan; and to replace a reference to a “30% facilitation payment” with the affidavit’s wording that Sayed said they would get approximately R92.4m about 30% to be split equally three ways.