Ramaphosa notes Madlanga Commission's second interim report as Sibiya faces criminal referral

Ramaphosa has noted the Madlanga Commission's second interim report, which confirms earlier SAPS findings and refers Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya, Witness G, Sgt Fannie Nkosi and Brown Mogotsi for criminal investigation, as O'Sullivan's testimony and critics question the pace of disclosure..BizNews Reporter.President Cyril Ramaphosa has noted the recommendations and referrals in the second interim report of the Madlanga Commission, the judicial inquiry probing criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system that was triggered by Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's explosive allegations of 6 July 2025.The Presidency said the report was handed to Ramaphosa on 29 May 2026, following a first interim report submitted on 17 December 2025. The Commission's final report is due on 16 November 2026.According to the Presidency, the second report revisits the SAPS-related recommendations made in the first report and, "with one exception," confirms them now that the implicated parties have had the chance to testify. It also sets out new recommendations based on evidence heard since the start of 2026. The Commission wants disciplinary action and immediate criminal investigation — with prosecution to follow if warranted — against Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, Witness G, Sergeant Fannie Nkosi and Brown Mogotsi. It has also asked the Office of the Inspector-General for Intelligence, or another suitably empowered body, to urgently investigate an alleged off-the-books Crime Intelligence operation involving Mogotsi and Witness G. The referrals, made under clauses 10.4 and 12 of the Commission's terms of reference, will feed into the SAPS special investigations task team set up after the first interim report.The findings against Sibiya land against a backdrop of testimony that has repeatedly put him at the centre of the Mkhwanazi saga. In an interview with Alec Hogg, forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan — who gave over six hours of evidence to the Commission — argued that Mkhwanazi's dramatic 6 July 2025 press conference, delivered with balaclava-clad officers behind him, was less a whistleblower moment than a "smokescreen" timed to deflect from the arrest, two days earlier, of seven senior crime intelligence officers. Mkhwanazi has since filed a R5 million defamation claim against O'Sullivan, accusing him of acting as an instrument of Sibiya; O'Sullivan has countersued for R10 million and denies any personal relationship with Sibiya beyond occasional professional contact. O'Sullivan also told the Commission that metadata showed the PowerPoint presentation used at Mkhwanazi's press conference was created on a SAPS head-office computer rather than one from KwaZulu-Natal, and urged commissioners to keep an "open mind" and dig back to the 2012 unlawful reinstatement of former crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli, which he says implicates Mkhwanazi in a cover-up predating his current whistleblower image.The slow pace of disclosure has also drawn criticism. Speaking to Chris Steyn shortly after Ramaphosa received the second interim report, political commentator Solly Moeng said the Presidency's rationale — that releasing findings mid-inquiry could prejudice witnesses still to testify — has "soundness to it," but that South Africans are "tired of being asked to wait." Moeng noted that of the commission's key implicated figures, "there's always a name or two that gets protected," while the public is fed other developments until earlier names fade from memory. He argued that Parliament is right to keep pressuring Ramaphosa, and that independent media must keep asking questions, since the judiciary — through mechanisms like the Madlanga Commission — remains one of the few institutions still functioning as a check on the executive.With Sibiya now formally in the Commission's sights and the final report still three months away, pressure is likely to mount on the Presidency and the SAPS task team to show visible progress before November..The full press release from The Presidency can be found here..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 every morning on 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.

Ramaphosa notes Madlanga Commission's second interim report as Sibiya faces criminal referral

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