‘Baffling’ claims: Lesufi rejects allegations at Madlanga Commission

Gauteng
Johannesburg – Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has denied claims that he ordered police to hand over sensitive case dockets, describing testimony by suspended brigadier Mbangwa Nkhwashu at the Madlanga Commission as “misleading”.

According to The Citizen, Nkhwashu told the commission on Wednesday that he had been instructed to collect dockets linked to arrest warrants for oversight by senior police officials, allegedly under Lesufi’s direction.

The testimony formed part of discussions around cases including the murder of whistleblower Armand Swart.

The report said that Nkhwashu informed the Madlanga commission that he had received instructions “to collect all case dockets that had a J50 warrant of arrest and to submit them to the deputy provincial commissioner of detective services, Major General [Dumisani] Khumalo”.

“General Khumalo was to oversee those investigations as directed by the Premier of Gauteng, Mr Panyaza Lesufi. The instructions were not limited to the Katiso case. It applied to many dockets from all five districts in Gauteng,” he said.

However, responding to these claims on Friday, Lesufi said a letter from Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General DT Mthombeni shows the request came from police leadership, not his office.

He suggested Nkhwashu may have confused internal police processes with crime prevention briefings and has called for proof of the alleged directive.

“A letter from the Gauteng Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General DT Mthombeni, addressed to the premier, confirms that it was the provincial commissioner, not the premier, who requested the dockets,” said Lesufi said.

“The letter also explicitly confirms that the coordination of wanted suspects and the processing of J50 warrants fall under the mandate of the Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Crime Detection, Major General Khumalo, acting in consultation with Crime Intelligence.”

Lesufi reiterated support for the commission and urged against sensationalising the proceedings.

“We support the work of the Madlanga commission, and we will use the proper legal channels to correct any misleading or incorrect statements that are part of the official record. We also urge everyone to let the commission finish its work, without giving in to any temptation to create sensationalism,” said Lesufi.

Picture: X/@GP_CommSafety

For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com

Compiled by Betha Madhomu

Article written by