Madlanga Commission hears BBL bribery claims and alleged cocaine heists
A witness said a businessman paid for a police officer’s Brazilian Butt Lift as the inquiry dug into 541kg of stolen cocaine and missing kilos in police custody.
South Africa’s test of whether it can police the police has turned on two jolting questions: how a businessman could allegedly buy influence with a Brazilian Butt Lift, and how hundreds of kilograms of cocaine could disappear from law enforcement custody.
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 13 July 2025 after explosive allegations from KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that criminal syndicates had infiltrated the criminal justice system. Chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, the inquiry began public hearings on 17 September 2025 at the Bridgette Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria and received an interim report on 17 December 2025.
Among the most sensational testimony heard so far is the claim that attempted murder accused businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala paid for a Brazilian Butt Lift for SAPS officer General Khosi Senthumule. Suspended deputy national police commissioner General Shadrack Sibiya testified that the allegation was raised before the commission, while General Rachel Matjeng also told the inquiry that Matlala paid for a BBL procedure for an SAPS officer. The claims have sharpened scrutiny of relationships between police officials and suspected underworld figures, and of the ease with which influence can be traded for personal benefit.
The commission has also exposed serious operational failures in narcotics policing. Testimony described the theft of a 541kg cocaine haul from Hawks offices in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, in November 2021, with the drugs stored there between 5 November 2021 at 16:00 and 8 November 2021 at 07:00. Reports said the cocaine was worth more than R200 million. Witnesses said the Port Shepstone offices had no CCTV cameras, perimeter sensors, 24-hour security guards, armed response or a working alarm system when the drugs vanished.
More evidence has pointed to wider breakdowns in handling major drug cases. The commission has heard testimony about a 715kg cocaine bust in Aeroton, and that 136kg was later reported lost from a police lab. In another case, Hawks testimony suggested a R700m cocaine bust may actually have been a heist attempt. The commission also heard that top cop Khan met an accused person in the cocaine bust case to get information about an informant.
Ramaphosa placed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave when the inquiry was announced, a sign of how far the fallout has spread beyond the hearing room. What the Madlanga Commission is exposing is not only alleged bribery and drug theft, but the deeper problem of chain-of-command failure inside agencies meant to enforce the law.
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