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May 2026
The Namibian
Political Killings Task Teamdiscovered thatMr Adams interfered with the convicted and sentenced hitman at a sensitive and advanced stage of investigation
Source
“Through investigations, the task team discovered that Mr Adams interfered with the now convicted and sentenced hitman at a very sensitive and advanced stage of the police's investigation.”
The Political Killings Task Team (PKTT)was disbanded bythe Minister of Police
Source
“The Madlanga Commission is a public inquiry established by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in July 2025 to investigate alleged criminality, political interference and corruption within the criminal justice system, particularly following the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) by the Minister of Police.”
Political Killings Task Teamwas instrumental inunravelling murder of Armand Swart and connecting dots to Big Five cartel
Source
“Witnesses A and B from Gauteng Organised Crime, with Witness C from the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), were instrumental in unravelling the murder of engineer Armand Swart, and in connecting the dots to the powerful "Big Five" cartel.”
National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams is to appear in Pinetown Magistrates' Court on 7 May on charges of fraud and defeating or obstructing the course of justice, related to his alleged interference in the investigation into former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa's 2017 assassination. Adams was arrested on 5 May after allegedly obtaining an affidavit from a murder accused during a prison visit in January 2025.
National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams is to appear in Pinetown Magistrates' Court on 7 May on charges of fraud and defeating or obstructing the course of justice, related to his alleged interference in the investigation into former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa's 2017 assassination. Adams was arrested on 5 May after allegedly obtaining an affidavit from a murder accused during a prison visit in January 2025.
Major general Richard Shibiri, the SAPS head of organised crime, testified at the Madlanga Commission about how criminal syndicates infiltrate police, but now faces damning allegations that he himself accepted a R70,000 loan from an organised crime accused in September 2024. The case underscores widespread institutional compromise and systemic vulnerabilities in South Africa's criminal justice system.
An undercover Crime Intelligence officer testified at the Madlanga Commission that senior officials in the agency were involved in the 2017 murder of former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa, and alleged that suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu attempted to persuade him to lie about the case.
South Africa's Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo told Parliament that criminal cartels thrive through proximity to politicians, law enforcement, and business leaders, alleging that nearly all SAPS officers in Gauteng work for a cartel and that police have offered protection to syndicate members for a fee.
According to New Era, a legal practitioner argues that witness protection frameworks across the region fail to safeguard participants in courts and tribunals adequately. The opinion cites the killing of a witness in South Africa's Madlanga Commission and a prosecutor attacked in Ondangwa, Namibia, as evidence that drastic measures—including risk assessments, protected testimony methods, and surveillance—are needed to protect all court participants.