By Palesa Matlala
- A witness at the Madlanga Commission claimed businessman Tumelo Nku was involved in drug trafficking and not a police informer as previously suggested.
- The Supreme Court of Appeal will decide whether former Zambian President Edgar Lungu should be buried in South Africa or returned to Zambia for a state funeral.
South Africa’s courts and commissions are hearing several high-profile matters today.
Johannesburg: Explosive testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has raised fresh questions about businessman Tumelo Nku’s alleged role in one of South Africa’s biggest cocaine scandals.
A witness known only as Witness J told the commission that Nku was not a police informer as previously claimed but was allegedly involved in drug trafficking and organised crime.
Witness J testified behind closed doors last week. Parts of the testimony have now been released to the public.
The evidence forms part of the commission’s investigation into the theft of cocaine worth about R200-million linked to the Durban-Aeroton drug bust.
According to Witness J, cellphone records and intelligence analysis suggest that Nku helped coordinate the movement of containers allegedly used to transport illegal drugs.
“He is involved in drug trafficking and has people who assist him to facilitate the trafficking of drugs,” the witness told the commission.
The witness strongly rejected claims that Nku was acting as a police informer.
“Tumelo Nku is not an informer as he alleges. If he was an informer, the drugs would have been seized in Durban. Why would he travel all the way from Durban following the truck?” said Witness J.
The commission also heard allegations that Nku had close relationships with politicians and allegedly sponsored African National Congress events in the Eastern Cape during 2019 and 2020.
According to the testimony, some party branches allegedly approached him regularly for donations.
Nku previously came under the spotlight after suspended Gauteng Traffic Police chief Samuel Mashaba claimed he had provided information about a cocaine shipment worth more than R300-million.
Witness J further alleged that Nku had contacts inside law enforcement agencies who helped facilitate criminal activities.
The witness also claimed that some properties linked to Nku were registered in his mother’s name through companies allegedly used to hide the source of his income.
The commission is expected to hear from another secret witness, known as Witness K, who has requested permission to testify behind closed doors because of safety concerns.
The inquiry is investigating allegations of corruption, criminal influence and abuse of power within the City of Ekurhuleni and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department.
Evidence presented so far has revealed close links between Medicare24 chief executive Mike van Wyk and suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi.
WhatsApp messages and other evidence have raised questions about blue lights allegedly fitted to Van Wyk’s private vehicles.
Commission evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson also highlighted photographs allegedly showing live ostriches being transported inside an ambulance.
The commission is expected to continue hearing evidence this week.
Meanwhile in Bloemfontein, another high-profile legal battle is nearing its end.
The Supreme Court of Appeal is expected to deliver judgment on Tuesday in the dispute over the burial of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu.
More than a year after his death in June 2025, Lungu has still not been buried.
His body has remained in South African mortuaries while his family and the Zambian government continue to fight over where he should be laid to rest.
The Lungu family argues that it was the former president’s wish to be buried in South Africa.
However, the Zambian government wants his body returned home so that he can receive a state funeral and be buried with full honours.
The family is appealing a High Court ruling that allowed the Zambian government to repatriate his remains.
Tuesday’s ruling is expected to finally determine where the former leader will be buried and bring an end to the long-running legal battle.
In Limpopo, police are investigating a suspected human trafficking case after 23 young people were found living in a house in Seshego.
The group, aged between 19 and 23, was discovered after police received information about suspicious activities at the property.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the young men and women came from Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.
Police arrested one man at the scene.
The group allegedly told investigators they had been recruited for work selling insurance and were being housed together.
Police also found a foreign national believed to be renting the property.
Home Affairs officials have been called in to verify his immigration status.
Investigations are continuing to determine whether the case involves human trafficking, fraud or other criminal offences.
Pictured above: The Madlanga Commission is hearing explosive evidence about alleged drug trafficking while judges prepare to rule on former Zambian President Edgar Lungu’s burial.
Image source: File
