Nku’s Madlanga testimony paused after new developments; supplementary statement ordered

Businessman Tumelo Nku’s testimony before the Madlanga Commission was put on hold after fresh developments during proceedings prompted a request for supplementary material, and his testimony has been postponed to Monday.

Adjournment after issues emerged during testimony

The commission halted proceedings on Friday after Nku’s legal representative, Adv. Piet du Plessis, and Evidence Leader Adv. Teboho Mosikili asked for extra time to address matters that had arisen during testimony.

“There is a recent development that we need to have further interaction with Nku and potentially supplement some of the statements that he has provided to the commission. The request is to stand down,”

Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga granted the application. Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels confirmed that proceedings would resume at 2pm that day.

What the commission is examining

Nku began giving evidence on Thursday. He has been linked in testimony to the Aeroton drug consignment that was intercepted by police in Johannesburg in July 2021.

During the inquiry, Nku has been accused of acting as an active facilitator in an alleged drug trafficking network rather than serving as a police informant. His supplementary testimony is expected to address issues that surfaced during Friday’s proceedings.

Next steps

The commission paused the hearing to allow Nku to submit a supplementary statement and interact further with investigators and legal teams. His testimony is scheduled to resume on Monday.