By Anita Dangazele
- The Madlanga Commission will decide on Friday if a crime intelligence officer and a detective can testify in absolute secret.
- Witnesses plan to expose how former prosecuting head Shamila Batohi allegedly blocked a criminal case against top cop Feroz Khan.
Two police whistleblowers are fighting to keep their identities hidden before they share explosive evidence about top prosecuting bosses.
The two officers, known only as Witness N and Witness O, will ask the Madlanga Commission on Friday to let them testify behind closed doors.
Witness N is a detective from the police’s Political Killings Task Team. Witness O is a crime intelligence officer who is scared for her safety and her job.
They are stepping forward to expose alleged corruption inside the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). They will target the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption and its boss, Andrea Johnson.
The officers plan to reveal how powerful figures allegedly meddled in a criminal case against suspended Crime Intelligence boss Feroz Khan.
Khan faced complaints of assault and intimidation dating back to 2018.
Witness O claims Johnson acted improperly in handling the charges against Khan.
The officers will also point fingers at former prosecuting head Shamila Batohi. They accuse Batohi and Johnson of interfering in the investigation to protect the top cop.
Witness O says she tried to blow the whistle in 2022 but feared losing her job if she spoke out publicly.
Witness N brings another shocking claim to the commission. The detective will testify about a senior anti-corruption investigator who allegedly extorted money from a foreign national.
The investigator allegedly promised protection to immigrant shop owners in the Eastern Cape in exchange for cash.
The commission will hear the secret testimony applications on Friday morning. The chairperson must decide if protecting the whistleblowers outweighs holding a public hearing.
If the commission agrees, the two officers will give their evidence in private. The ruling will shape the way forward for the inquiry as it digs deeper into police and state corruption.
Pictured above: The Madlanga Commission will hear from two secret police witnesses on Friday.
Image source: File
