Drama at Madlanga Commission as fire alarm forces evacuation before Matlala testimony

Pretoria – A fire alarm at Brigitte Mabandla College in Pretoria briefly disrupted the Madlanga Commission on Monday morning, 17 August 2026, just hours before corruption-accused tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala was due to testify.

Attendees, commission staff and members of the media were evacuated safely while Tshwane Emergency Services responded and inspected the building. The cause of the alarm remains under investigation.

Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said emergency procedures were followed and the premises were declared safe after the evacuation.

“We wouldn’t want to speculate as to what happened. Once we know what the cause was, we will let the public know,” Michaels said.

MADLANGA COMMISSION | Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels says the situation is under control after a fire alarm at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College. He also confirms that Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has arrived to testify. pic.twitter.com/hgNhjocxYF

— SABC News (@SABCNews) August 17, 2026

Security had already been increased ahead of Matlala’s testimony, with Michaels describing him as a “key witness” in the inquiry.

“Security around the commission is always tight. On a day like this, of course, it is heightened,” he said.

Michaels added that measures were in place to protect Justice Madlanga, the commissioners, staff and witnesses.

“All the necessary measures are in place in terms of protecting Justice Madlanga, the co-commissioners, the team and of course the witnesses who have come to testify,” he said.

#MadlangaCommission [WATCH] The City of Tshwane’s emergency services has arrived here at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College. We’ve been stationed outside the building since just after 7am with the fire drill ringing out since then. It’s unclear what is happening and whether or… pic.twitter.com/pRl1Z9eY5e

— Ziyanda N (@ZiyandaNgcobo) August 17, 2026

Despite the disruption, Michaels said the commission’s operations remained on track.

“From a planning point of view for an eventuality like this, everything ran smoothly. There weren’t any incidents related to the evacuation other than the alarm itself,” he said.