The Madlanga Commission heard two days [1] of public testimony regarding the alleged intentional theft of cocaine from a Hawks storage facility in Port Shepstone [1], [2].
The proceedings examine whether the disappearance of narcotics was a deliberate act to hide internal corruption or a staged event. This investigation follows the loss of 541 bricks of cocaine [2], which carried an estimated value of R200 million [2].
During the hearings, the role of Tumelo Nku was disclosed. Witness J said that Nku served as the informant who helped facilitate the Aeroton drug bust [1].
Major-General Lesetja Senona, the suspended head of the KwaZulu-Natal Hawks, addressed the allegations during the testimony. Senona said the claim that the cocaine theft was staged is "insane" [1].
While Senona dismissed the staging theory, reports indicate he remained silent on certain material elements of the theft at Port Shepstone [1]. Other accounts describe his contribution to the probe as underwhelming, noting he offered limited comment without an outright denial of the theft itself [2].
Justice Madlanga, the commission chair, said that evidence suggests the theft was intentional rather than a random loss [2]. The original seizure of the drugs had taken place at a Durban depot before they were moved to the Port Shepstone facility [1], [2].
“The claim that the cocaine theft was staged is "insane".”
The revelation of an informant's identity and the internal contradictions regarding the theft suggest a systemic failure within the Hawks' chain of custody. By focusing on whether the theft was 'staged' versus 'intentional,' the commission is attempting to determine if the loss was an external breach or a coordinated effort by high-ranking officials to embezzle seized contraband.
