President Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly released the names of senior police officers and municipal officials implicated in the Madlanga Commission’s three-month interim report, marking a dramatic escalation in a probe that has laid bare alleged criminal syndicates operating inside South Africa’s criminal justice system.
The interim report of the Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, chaired by retired constitutional court justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, identifies prima facie evidence of wrongdoing against a number of individuals who should now face urgent criminal investigation, possible prosecution and disciplinary action.
The commission was established in July 2025 following explosive allegations by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that a sophisticated criminal network had infiltrated law enforcement and related institutions, manipulating investigations and shielding suspects linked to political killings, organised crime and corruption.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Ramaphosa said he had studied the interim report, submitted to him in December, and accepted its recommendations in full. He welcomed the commission’s decision to refer several matters for immediate criminal investigation and urgent prosecutorial decisions.
The referrals include allegations of criminality, corruption, fraud, murder, perjury and other unlawful actions involving officials employed by the South African Police Service (SAPS), the City of Ekurhuleni and the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD).
Among those flagged for investigation are five SAPS members: Maj-Gen Lesetja Senona, Maj-Gen Richard Shibiri, Brigadier Mbangwa Nkhwashu, Brigadier Rachel Matjeng and Sgt Fannie Nkosi.
The commission also found prima facie evidence of wrongdoing involving current and former employees of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and EMPD, including suspended EMPD chief of police commissioner Julius Mkhwanazi, EMPD officers Bafana Twala, Aiden McKenzie and Kershia Leigh Stols, former Ekurhuleni city manager Dr Imogen Mashazi, fleet manager Chris Steyn, head of human resources Linda Gxasheka, head of legal services Adv Kemi Behari and Etienne van der Walt.
The Madlanga Commission stressed that, with the exception of Julius Mkhwanazi, it has not yet heard responses from several of the individuals named, and that the allegations remain prima facie and are not final findings. However, it said the seriousness of the allegations warranted immediate referrals for further investigation and potential disciplinary or prosecutorial action.
Ramaphosa said the commission was acting within its powers to recommend suspensions and referrals where there was prima facie evidence implicating individuals employed within law enforcement or intelligence agencies. He called on all relevant institutions — including SAPS, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and the Ekurhuleni municipality — to act with speed in implementing the recommendations.
The president has also directed police minister Prof Firoz Cachalia and national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola to establish a special investigations task team to pursue cases arising from the interim report. The task team will be led by a senior officer reporting directly to Masemola, a move Ramaphosa said was necessary to ensure urgency and independence.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the president believed decisive action was critical to restoring public trust. “The president expects all law enforcement agencies and criminal justice institutions to act with speed in implementing the recommendations of the interim report so that confidence in the system can begin to be rebuilt,” Magwenya said.
The commission has already referred some matters to IPID and will seek explanations where investigations appear to have stalled. It also noted that some of the implicated individuals are expected to return to the commission to respond to allegations, while further witnesses are still due to testify as hearings continue into 2026.
Ramaphosa thanked Justice Madlanga, advocates Sesi Baloyi SC and Sandile Khumalo SC, and the commission staff for what he described as diligent work under intense public scrutiny. He said he was looking forward to the final report and its contribution to strengthening the criminal justice system.
The announcement, however, sparked sharp reactions on social media, with many South Africans expressing cynicism about yet another task team and inquiry process.
One X user wrote: “Ramaphosa is establishing a new Task Team to probe allegations from the Madlanga Commission which is probing allegations made by General Mkhwanazi. At this rate, we will have an Inquiry to also probe allegations from the Task Team. We are led by fools.”
Another user was more blunt, posting: “Cyril Ramaphosa does not care.”
The Madlanga Commission’s interim report has already intensified pressure on government to demonstrate that its long-promised crackdown on corruption and criminal capture of the state will translate into arrests, suspensions and prosecutions — rather than another cycle of reports and recommendations.
As the commission continues its work and the new task team prepares to launch investigations, the spotlight will remain firmly on whether Ramaphosa’s administration can turn the damning findings into tangible consequences for those alleged to have betrayed the public trust.
