Photos shown at Madlanga link five men to alleged ‘Big Five’ network

Photographs presented at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry show five men the inquiry has associated with the alleged ‘Big Five’ network. The images were recovered from the phone of businessman Katiso “KT” Molefe, the commission record says.

Who appears in the image?

The commission’s evidence identifies the five men in the photograph as Katiso “KT” Molefe, Steve Motsumi, Ignatius Mothakathi, the man recorded as “King Nyambose”, and the late taxi boss Jotham “Mswazi” Msibi.

Details from the record

The photograph was recovered from Molefe’s phone, which is why the commission record highlights his centrality to that image. The record names the other four men as present in the same picture.

Name discrepancy for ‘King Nyambose’

The commission archive records the surname and alias “King Nyambose” but notes differences in reporting over the man’s first name. SABC News and EWN identified him as Andrew “Boy” Mthethwa, while TimesLIVE and The Citizen reported him as Jabu Mthethwa. The commission record does not select between the differing first names.

What the photograph shows and what it does not

The commission cautioned that the image does not, by itself, establish criminal conduct or prove membership of a criminal organisation. What it does provide, the record says, is visual evidence that those named were together when the photo was taken.

Connections noted in commission evidence

The photograph was shown alongside other evidence that seeks to place the men within a wider network under inquiry.

• Molefe and Msibi: The commission heard evidence linking Molefe, Msibi and Steve Motsumi to an alleged plan involving phone-interception technology described as a “grabber”. Chief Evidence Leader Matthew Chaskalson told the inquiry that “Msibi, Nkosi, Motsumi and Molefe have a plan to sell grabber technology to eSwatini,” according to the record.
• Business links: The commission heard that Msibi was identified as the owner of security company Themy Styles, with Molefe listed as its director, according to evidence presented at the inquiry.
• Msibi and Ze Nxumalo: WhatsApp exchanges extracted from Msibi’s phone were shown to the commission relating to dealings involving businessman Ze Nxumalo and a municipal tender. One message showed Nxumalo forwarding Msibi an advertisement for a tender that Msibi allegedly wanted for Camp Rock. Nxumalo disputed those messages in an affidavit submitted to the commission, and the commission said further evidence was required to establish Camp Rock’s directors before assessing that material.
• Motsumi and Nxumalo: According to IOL, a witness named Shibiri told the commission in March that Motsumi was close to Nxumalo. Both men have now also been named by IOL among those allegedly linked to the Big Five.

Lebeya’s testimony

Retired Hawks head Dr Godfrey Lebeya, who gave evidence at the commission, denied knowing the alleged grouping.

“I have no knowledge of that organised criminal grouping at all, and I even doubt if it is registered as an organised crime project,”

Lebeya also told the commission he did not know Molefe and maintained that Msibi was not known to him during his time as national Hawks head.

Limits of the photographic evidence

The commission’s use of the photograph is part of a broader inquiry into who knew whom and what senior law-enforcement officials knew about the alleged network. The image serves as a piece of visual context but does not, on its own, prove wrongdoing, the record makes clear.