Police say crime intelligence boss survives attempted assassination in Johannesburg
Maj-Gen Feroz Khan survived a shooting in Houghton three days before he was due to testify before the Madlanga Commission.
Maj-Gen Feroz Khan survived a shooting near his home in 3rd Avenue, Houghton, Johannesburg, on Sunday evening, and police have treated the attack as an attempted assassination. News reports said Khan was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, while investigators moved quickly to open a high-level probe into the attack.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said Khan was shot in Houghton, and the South African Police Service said the Gauteng Hawks, Gauteng Crime Intelligence and the SAPS Detective Service were all involved in the investigation. The timing sharpened concern around Khan’s scheduled appearance before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where he was expected to testify on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, just three days after the shooting.
The commission was appointed in July 2025 to examine criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system after allegations made public by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on 6 July 2025. Its terms of reference are broader than a single case: it is tasked with examining the veracity, scope and extent of claims that criminal syndicates have infiltrated law-enforcement, intelligence and associated institutions, and it can recommend criminal prosecutions, disciplinary action and institutional reform.
Khan’s name had already surfaced in other sensitive matters under scrutiny. In May 2026, News24 reported that Khan and Gauteng Hawks head Maj-Gen Ebrahim Kadwa were arrested in an alleged illegal dealing and unlawful possession of precious metals case. Khan had also faced scrutiny over his attendance at an EFF gala dinner in 2023, adding to the pressure surrounding his role inside Crime Intelligence.
The attack in Houghton now sits at the center of a wider fight over policing integrity in South Africa. A senior intelligence officer linked to corruption allegations was gunned down just before he was due to answer questions before a commission charged with tracing criminal influence inside the justice system, raising fresh questions about how far those networks may reach and how dangerous accountability has become.
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