The Madlanga commission has heard how police intercepted a tonne of cocaine shipped from Brazil to Johannesburg in July 2021
The police operation surrounding a R286 million cocaine bust in Johannesburg descended into chaos amid allegations that officers attempted to steal the consignment, Warrant Officer Steven Phakula has told the Madlanga commission.
Giving further testimony before the commission, Phakula said Warrant Officer Marumo Magane had called him to Aeroton, Johannesburg, to assist in searching a truck suspected of carrying drugs.
But the scene had quickly become overcrowded with police officers before the Hawks and Major General Feroz Khan, the head of counter-intelligence and security, assumed control.
Phakula alleged that some officers at the scene had been more interested in diverting attention than investigating the crime.
“It is evident that the intentions of those officers at the scene were not to investigate the crime. The only way for them to take control of that crime scene was to arrest us. In that way they could divert the attention to the arrested police officers and let the real perpetrators free,” Phakula testified.
The 999kg cocaine consignment originated from the Port of Santos in Brazil and was intercepted in Johannesburg. Two South African Police Service (SAPS) officers and two Gauteng traffic officers were arrested in connection with the case.
“Warrant Officer Magane pointed to a Yellow Jersey Truck, yellow in colour, hooked to a 12m container trailer and told me that the drugs on the back of the bakkie fell from the container. They were assisted by Scania employees who loaded those bags onto the back of the bakkie to preserve them,” he said.
Phakula said Khan had arrived shortly afterwards and instructed Magane to sit inside a vehicle for a discussion.
“The fact of the matter is that Major General Khan gave instructions for the arrest of Nku, he gave instructions to Mogane to go sit in the car and not get out, he prevented the dog unit from performing their duties at the scene, he disarmed Chief Mashaba and he walked away from the scene with the truck driver.”
Phakula said he had then been arrested by Captain Sebola, whom he described as one of the last officers to arrive at the scene. No proper explanation had been given for his arrest.
He said he had been detained at Booysens SAPS alongside Magane, Gauteng traffic chief Samuel Mashaba and a man he came to know as Tumelo Nku, after they were placed together in the back of a police vehicle.
Phakula also referenced the disciplinary proceedings involving Khan, saying the major general had ultimately been cleared of all charges.
“General Khan was eventually cleared of all charges by the [disciplinary hearing] chairperson. It came as no surprise to me that, in the days leading up to this hearing, the chairperson of the disciplinary hearing, Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi, as well as the witnesses, came under negative media attack,” he said.
He told the commission that he had successfully appealed for reinstatement into the police service in November 2023 and testified during Khan’s disciplinary hearing in February 2025.
“Major General Khan asked me who the drugs belonged to and I told him that people say they belong to him and he laughed. He told me that he could see that I was doing an honest job and I requested that he could submit a statement as there was a disciplinary hearing against me for the same case,” Phakula testified.
Khan was arrested in a high-profile raid at his Houghton flat on Sunday. He appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Monday, alongside Gauteng Hawks boss Major-General Ebrahim Kadwa and director of Point Blank Security Tariq Downe. They face two counts — contravening section 4 of the Precious Metals Act and defeating or obstructing the course of justice.
