Madlanga hearings to restart following witness postponement and safety fears

Johannesburg – The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry is set to resume hearings on Monday, returning its focus to allegations of criminality and corruption in the City of Ekurhuleni.

The restart follows a turbulent week marked by serious security concerns, including an attempted hit, a death, and the postponement of testimony by an ANC-linked witness.

North West businessman and ANC member Suliman Carrim was granted a postponement after his legal team said they needed more time to study the evidence against him.

Commissioner Mbuyiseli Madlanga deferred his testimony to 9 and 10 March, with Carrim required to submit an affidavit by 27 February.

Wiandre Pretorius has taken his own life. He reportedly shot himself at a petrol filing station in Brakpan on the East Rand.

Earlier this week, he claimed there was an attempt on his life outside his Boksburg home. Gunmen fired several shots.

Pretorius and others were… https://t.co/FadL5PQSmk pic.twitter.com/8WJ2KumYZs

— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) February 7, 2026

Tensions around the commission intensified after Wiandre Pretorius, who was implicated in earlier testimony, died over the weekend, days after surviving an attempted attack on his life.

Pretorius had been named by Witness D, Marius van der Merwe, who was himself killed late last year. Following those events, President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged increased security for witnesses.

The commission is investigating claims of corruption, political interference and criminal conduct within the SAPS and the criminal justice system. It submitted an interim report to the president in December, with more witnesses expected to testify as phase two of the inquiry continues in the coming months.