Suspended SAPS officer Sergeant Fannie Nkosi is facing fresh criminal charges after investigators accused him of interfering with police evidence and obstructing the administration of justice.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that Nkosi will appear before the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court on Friday on additional charges of defeating and obstructing the course of justice.
The matter is being investigated by the Commission’s Recommendations Investigative Task Team, which was established to pursue criminal cases arising from the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into alleged corruption and criminal infiltration within law enforcement structures.
According to SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, the new charges relate to a 2022 criminal case involving the seizure of dagga, unlicensed firearms and explosives.
Police said a suspect was arrested on 10 November 2022, and evidence was booked into police custody at Thohoyandou.
Investigators allege that Nkosi later collected the original case docket while claiming he had been sent by SAPS Head Office.
“A few months later, he allegedly returned to Thohoyandou, identified himself as a Colonel from Head Office, and removed the confiscated dagga from police custody,” Mathe said.
Although the exhibits were later booked in at Head Office, investigators allegedly discovered that one of the exhibit bags containing dagga had been tampered with.
A criminal case of defeating and obstructing the course of justice was subsequently opened.
Nkosi’s legal troubles come amid widening investigations linked to evidence presented before the Madlanga Commission earlier this year.
The suspended officer became one of the commission’s central figures after testimony and cellphone records allegedly linked him to controversial businessman Katiso “KT” Molefe and suspended former deputy national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya.
The commission heard allegations that Nkosi acted as an intermediary between influential business figures and senior police officials, while also allegedly sharing sensitive police information with individuals outside law enforcement circles.
Investigators also examined CCTV footage and communication records allegedly showing frequent contact between Nkosi and figures connected to organised crime networks.
Nkosi denied wrongdoing during commission proceedings and insisted that his interactions with Molefe were innocent.
Earlier this year, police raided Nkosi’s Pretoria home before arresting him as part of investigations flowing from the commission’s findings.
He has already appeared in court twice in connection with earlier charges reportedly linked to theft and defeating the ends of justice.
The latest charges are expected to deepen scrutiny on the role allegedly played by certain police officers in interfering with investigations and handling sensitive evidence.
The Madlanga Commission has been probing allegations of corruption, political interference and criminal infiltration within sections of SAPS and intelligence structures.
Friday’s court appearance is expected to mark another significant development in the growing criminal investigations emerging from the commission’s work.
