Juanita du Preez: Witness A - Prepared to die for the truth!

There are those in the South African Police Force who are prepared to kill to hide the truth. And then there are those who are prepared to die to expose the truth. And one of those is Witness A, who delivered chilling evidence to the Madlanga Commission this week. In this conversation with Chris Steyn, Action Society’s Juanita du Preez discusses the damning testimony of Witness A: including underworld kingpin and alleged murder mastermind TK Molefe allegedly paying R2,5 million to ensure he got bail - after being implicated in at least 18 murders; how certain police bosses were unhappy about his last arrest - and tried to prevent it; and Economic Freedom Fighters Commander-in-Chief Julius Malema’s alleged close friendship with suspended Deputy Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, something that has added fuel to speculation about Malema’s absence from the Ad Hoc Committee when MP’s questioned Sibiya. Du Preez expresses concerns about the criminal conspiracies that could be continuing during these enquiries. “Will we see the end of all the corruption and all the things that happened, the capturing? ...I think there are already new plans made and getting into action… Are we going to have to wait for another commission to investigate the stuff that's happening while there is a commission going on now? It's frightening.”.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..Watch here.Listen here.Edited transcript of the interview.Chris Steyn (00:01.676)There are those in the South African Police Force who are prepared to kill to hide the truth. And then there are those who are prepared to die to expose the truth. And one of those is witness A, who delivered damning and chilling evidence to the Madlanga Commission this week. With me to talk about that is Action Society’s Juanita du PreezChris Steyn (00:31.862)Welcome JuanitaJuanita Du Preez (00:35.042)Well, thank you for the opportunity, Chris.Chris Steyn (00:40.172)Well, Witness A told the commission that senior Gauteng officials are implicated in drug cartels and syndicated hits.Juanita Du Preez (00:52.672)It is so damning. And it is so brave of this witness to spill all these beans. And this is what we want. You almost want to sit and eat popcorn while you're watching it because it's just so riveting. But we welcome this. And a lot of things said that is...Wonderful that it's coming out.Chris Steyn (01:24.492)Well, utterly staggering is that informers claimed that KT Molefe paid 2.5 million to ensure he got bail. We are talking about an alleged murder mastermind implicated in 18 murders who, now, happens to be on bail, but has also been implicated in the murder of whistleblower Armand Swart.Juanita Du Preez (01:49.922)This just shows how far it goes, how far his reach, his influence, his network goes, KT Molefe because it's not just one murder that he stood for or was charged for. It's 18. It's a lot of murders. And those are only the ones that we know of. This guy is a crook through and through. If you look at his history coming from construction mafia, protection in the construction industry. He is just so connected and no wonder he has two and a half million rands to pay a bribe to not be in the hot seat. But he's just a crook through and through. And if any of the people who are alleged to have links with him, and I mean links that benefited, then they are just as guilty as him and they should not be in any decision-making, any law-making position at all. It's nauseating actually to think that the people that we trust, the people who are supposed to protect South Africans are the ones who are actually protecting the criminals.Chris Steyn (03:15.64)I mean, we heard that certain police bosses were really unhappy about his last arrest and even actively tried to prevent that from happening.Juanita Du Preez (03:27.074)Yeah, and this is where all of the, it seems like all of the policing bodies are captured in some way. It's not just certain parts of it. It is right through. If you look at the Hawks, some of the other evidence given now was that they turned up before they were supposed to even know that there was going to be arrests. So these leaks and there are people who are working for the wrong side, for the bad side. And what I wonder is not everybody's been suspended. Are they still doing stuff…it because yes, the commission and the committee is going on, but what is happening while they are sitting. Where should we be scratching? Where else should we be scratching? And this week I was actually thinking, while all of this is going on, is it not just, well, not just, but it could be a very clever ploy for us to say, look at the birdie here, but what is happening down here? Where should we be focusing our attention as well? Because to me it feels like there's a shield in front of us, which is very scary. Are we going to have to wait for another commission to investigate the stuff that's happening while there is a commission going on now? It's frightening.Chris Steyn (05:11.18)I think you've summarised it very, very well. While there are attempts to publicly hold certain people accountable, we are aware of a scramble behind the scenes to cover up, to discredit. So interestingly, Economic Freedom Fighters, Commander-in-Chief, Mr. Julius Malema, being fingered as a close friend of suspended Deputy Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya. And that makes sense, or it could make sense of why he was mysteriously absent from the Ad Hoc committee when General Sibiya had to be questioned by MPs, because usually he's very energetically active in cross-examination. What do you think?Juanita Du Preez (06:00.45)Very, very suspicious. I don't think it's coincidence. I think it is very suspicious. And what this Witness A has already told us, he seems to know a lot of things. So he seems very trustworthy. And it corroborates with many of the other things that have been mentioned by other witnesses. So if he says there is a link between Sibiya and Malema, then I think we should look into that and I think we can believe that. And the problem with that is if a political leader, a very outspoken political leader has the ear of the second highest person in the police force, what does that mean? It means he can make things happen. He can manipulate situations. And have we not seen EFF linked, tender problems, tender issues, corruption, the things they like to point the finger about, it's pointing back at them. And now this seems like a very, very interesting, let's say interesting for Julius Malema. And why was, I want to know why was he not in that session? It's not coincidence, it's suspicious.Chris Steyn (07:24.568)I think I've heard him say now that yes, has Sibiya’s number, the general’s number, but you know, he calls him about cases.Juanita Du Preez (07:31.47)Everybody seems to have everybody's numbers now. Mchunu also said yes, now he admits he was playing it very safe saying, oh yes, no, I never said I don't know him. I said I don't have dealings with him. That's with his Big 5 friend. So yes.Chris Steyn (07:56.332)You're talking about Cat Matlala.Juanita Du Preez (08:01.324)Yes, so previously he said, no, I don't know him. But now he's turned around and said, I never said that. I said, I don't have dealings with him. I'm not a partner with him. So that's a very thin line. If he had said it at a time when all of this wasn't happening, and if the disbandment of that unit didn't happen at that time, then I might have believed him. Again, it can't be coincidence. It doesn't make him credible if he plays around with words.Chris Steyn (08:46.968)Talking about Vusi Cat Matlala, he's now also trying to get bail. Shall we take bets?Juanita Du Preez (08:56.238)Does he have two and a half million lying around? Maybe he can also pay a bribe. I think from the start, everybody who was implicated should have been kept incarcerated away from whatever dealings they were busy with, their day-to-day crime lives. Because now we have some people…Juanita Du Preez (09:23.992)…who are implicated but they're just carrying on while other people can't continue. Chris Steyn (09:38.434)Was there anything else from this week's testimony and also before the Ad Hoc committee that stood out for you?Juanita Du Preez (09:50.393)For me, it's well, this week is very interesting. It feels like we're moving forward.Juanita Du Preez (10:09.196)But it feels like you really have to keep your mind on your thinking hat on to draw the lines between who is the good guy, who is connected to who.But I think what stood out for me is the thinking of, okay, who can we definitely say looks credible? Who doesn't look credible? Who looks like a bad guy? Who looks like a good guy? So that is something that...that this week it's starting for me to go into a direction. But this is also just Witness A. So Witness B and C must still come and testify. So what news will they bring? I think if witness A, if there's so much protection around them and with the...the bombs dropping, then we will definitely see some other information that's incriminating, that's big news, that pushes it in a different direction. Yeah, I have said before, we want to see the evidence in all of these cases, all of these testimonies, we want to see the evidence and we want to see that it is really true what these people are saying. And if a lot of people are corroborating different things, then I think that is why I'm starting to think, okay, we are seeing a way forward. We are seeing the roots and how everything fits together. So yeah, that is for me, it feels like everything is coming together now.Chris Steyn (11:58.68)So witness A is a detective investigating crime cartels and witness B also, and they are behind closed doors due to security threats. Living in a safe house after receiving credible death threats tied to the Swart probe.Juanita Du Preez (12:21.17)I hope they stay safe and I hope the safe house is truly safe, especially after what is coming out now. And like I said before, we don't know who's still functioning with this going on. And if they were credible threats. So I do hope they are kept safe. And I can see that a lot is done from the commission side, from the committee side to keep them safe. Even their voices, it's...It's not even just masked, it's told to one person and then relayed to the committee and the commission. So, they must stay safe. Even thinking of Armand, the one guy that was seen as a whistleblower, but it was mistaken identity, but the danger that whistleblowers are in South Africa, it's really...It is really something. It is not just make believe and it's not made too much of. It is definitely a danger.Chris Steyn (13:30.264)Well, Juanita, you and I both know how these things work and that it would not be difficult for these witnesses to be identified. So I think that their lives will remain in real danger forever.Juanita Du Preez (13:43.854)Yes, forever. I think you're right. Will we see the end of all the corruption and all the things that happened, the capturing? I can't believe that we will see the end of it. I think there are already new plans made and getting into action. And unfortunately, this is where we are in South Africa.If we, I don't know how long it's going to take to bring a complete overhaul. If we just look at the South African Police Service and all the elements connected to that, but we need an overall of everything for people to really truly be safe in the future because it's just one criminal replacing another at this time.Chris Steyn (14:38.808)Well, like Witness A said, that unless this rot, this corruption is stopped, the country is doomed.Juanita Du Preez (14:48.99)Definitely. I cannot disagree. I completely agree with that. It is frightening. It feels like this is happening far away and everybody's watching it, but it doesn't affect you as a person, as a normal South African. But it does. It really does. If people are just...people with enough connections and people with enough money and criminals are given a free rein, then it will affect normal South Africans. We will see more and more crime because they are involved with, it's not just getting money for themselves, they're involved with drug trafficking. I'm sure human trafficking is in there as well because those two go hand in hand. And then it will just...grow bigger and bigger and bigger and it will impact normal South Africans. It is not something that is happening far away. If it is not good, it will definitely have an impact.Chris Steyn (15:56.106)Indeed, thank you. That was Action Society’s Juanita du Preez speaking to me, Chris Steyn, about the bravery of Witness A. Thank you, Anita.Juanita Du Preez (16:07.576)Thank you.

Juanita du Preez: Witness A - Prepared to die for the truth!

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