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“You are supposed to be super detectives” – Madlanga grills Hawks over botched R1.5 million operation
Madlanga Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga has criticised Hawks investigators over what he described as a “very glaring mistake” in their handling of an investigation into the alleged theft of R1.5 million from a Johannesburg businessman by a Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officer.
Madlanga questioned the judgement of Hawks Warrant Officer Phuti Mashala after he admitted that investigators had disclosed details of a planned entrapment operation to a fellow police officer they suspected of being involved in an alleged bribery scheme.
Mashala was testifying before the commission on Friday, 13 November, as its investigation turned to allegations of criminality and corruption within the JMPD.
The case dates back to August 2023, when businessman Nawazish Ali Raja and his wife were allegedly stopped by JMPD officer Eric Mphahlele while travelling in a grey Mercedes-Benz.
According to evidence presented at the commission, Mphahlele accused Raja of speeding before searching his vehicle. During the search, he allegedly discovered a black bag containing R1.5 million in cash, which Raja said was intended to purchase stock for his business.
Raja told investigators that instead of taking him to a police station as expected, Mphahlele allegedly took the money and instructed him to follow his JMPD vehicle. The officer reportedly changed the intended destination before disappearing with the cash.
Raja and his wife subsequently identified Mphahlele during an identity parade at Hillbrow Police Station.
Mashala told the commission that he and fellow investigator Captain N.J. Tauatswala were assigned to investigate the matter.
However, the investigation took another turn when Mphahlele allegedly offered the Hawks officers R250 000 to make the criminal case against him disappear.
The commission heard that the alleged bribe was to be facilitated through JMPD Inspector Tintswalo Rikhotso and Hawks Captain Matimu Mabunda, also referred to in the proceedings as Keshi Mabunda.
The investigators subsequently sought approval to conduct a section 252A entrapment operation under the Criminal Procedure Act. The operation was intended to catch those involved in the alleged bribery arrangement.
However, the Hawks officers informed Mabunda about the planned operation, despite Mashala having indicated that he suspected her of being involved in the scheme.
This decision prompted Madlanga to question why investigators would reveal sensitive operational information to someone they believed could be compromised.
“So why do you tell her about the entrapment?” Madlanga asked.
Mashala conceded that informing her could have been a mistake, explaining that the investigators had believed she understood what they were trying to achieve.
“It might be where we lost it wrong; we got it wrong there. It might be where we made a mistake in telling her,” he said.
Madlanga was unimpressed by the explanation, questioning the competence of the specialised crime-fighting unit.
“That’s a very glaring mistake by Hawks detectives. You are supposed to be a specialised branch of the police, aren’t you? I would even say you are supposed to be super detectives, aren’t you?” he asked.
Mashala agreed.
“You are defeating the very purpose of what you sought to achieve. It just doesn’t make sense at all to me. Does it make sense to you?” Madlanga continued.
“No, Your Worship,” Mashala responded.
The commission chairperson went further, suggesting that the investigators’ decision had undermined the entire operation and contributed to its failure.
“All of this ends up being totally inconclusive. And in my book, I would say you were responsible for that,” Madlanga told the witness.
He added that Mashala and his colleague were partly, if not particularly, responsible for the operation coming to nothing by informing someone they suspected of involvement in the alleged bribery arrangement.
Mashala, however, did not agree that disclosing the operation was necessarily the direct reason it failed. He maintained that Mabunda could have alerted the other people involved regardless of whether the investigators had informed her.
The commission also heard that Mphahlele has since been convicted in connection with the case, while Rikhotso, Mabunda and JMPD officer Immaculate Phakoane remain in their positions, according to evidence reported from the proceedings.
The allegations against other officers remain subject to investigation and must not be confused with convictions.
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, chaired by Justice Madlanga, is investigating allegations of corruption, criminality and political interference within South Africa’s law enforcement agencies.
Its proceedings have brought renewed scrutiny to alleged relationships between police officers, criminal networks and individuals accused of abusing positions of authority.
Economy
The Scorpion Kings’ burgers are all sold out, but the Scorpion Kings Live are back tonight on SABC 1
Before DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small were filling FNB Stadium with Amapiano, there was the hustle – and for Maphorisa, part of that hustle involved food.
Long before the Scorpion Kings name became synonymous with some of South Africa’s biggest musical moments, Maphorisa was finding different ways to make money while pursuing his music career.
“I used to deejay on weekends and I opened a tuck-shop at home just to have a cash flow and at school I used to sell sweets and lollipops,” Maphorisa said.
He explained that the money helped him save for his first car and travel between Pretoria and Johannesburg while working towards his music career.
So, years later, seeing the producer put his name to a burger collaboration feels like a rather delicious full-circle moment.
The Scorpion Kings – Maphorisa and Kabza De Small – teamed up with RocoMamas in September for the limited-edition King’s Feast, a menu inspired by their personalities, their music and plenty of South African flavour.
The collaboration ran until 30 September, meaning the burgers have now officially left the menu – but having tasted them, there is plenty to talk about.
Madumane Double – big, saucy and properly Mzansi
The DJ Maphorisa-inspired Madumane Double did not arrive quietly.
The burger featured a 200g double beef smash, chakalaka, chorizo and cheese, all packed into a brioche bun. RocoMamas positioned it as the “main drop” of the collaboration.
The first bite was very much about the beef, but then the chakalaka came through with that familiar South African kick.
Spicy, savoury and gloriously messy, it was the sort of burger that requires you to abandon any plans of eating neatly.
And there was something particularly kasi about that combination.
Chakalaka was not there as a gimmick. It gave the burger a distinctly South African personality, taking the familiar smashburger format and throwing in a flavour many Mzansi households know very well.
RocoMamas described the collaboration as burgers built by the two artists “the way they build a track – layer on layer until it hits.”
That description actually makes sense.
Papta Sting brings the heat
Then came Kabza De Small’s Papta Sting – and this one was for the spice chaser.
The burger combined southern-fried chicken with atchar and jalapeños on a brioche bun. RocoMamas summed it up neatly: “Sweet on the way in, sting on the way out.”
And that is pretty much the assignment.
The chicken brings the crunch, the atchar delivers that sweet-sour South African flavour, and then the jalapeño arrives with a little extra attitude.
It is the kind of burger that makes you pause after the first bite and ask yourself whether you really want another one.
Naturally, you do.
Kabza’s association with the burger also made sense because the collaboration was built around flavours that feel familiar to South African palates rather than trying too hard to reinvent the wheel.
It tasted like the kasi – with a RocoMamas twist
The King’s Feast was at its most interesting when it leaned into flavours that South Africans already know.
Chakalaka. Atchar. Pap balls. Big portions. Messy eating. Food made for sharing.
RocoMamas itself described the campaign as being inspired by the “grootmans of the yanos”, while its promotional material leaned heavily into the idea of bringing South African flavour to the menu.
That made the collaboration feel like more than simply putting two famous names on burgers.
Amapiano has always been closely connected to place, community, language, fashion, dance and everyday South African life. The King’s Feast borrowed from that same cultural vocabulary and put it on a plate.
And yes, chakalaka on a burger works.
There, we said it.
The timing was perfect
The RocoMamas collaboration formed part of the build-up to Scorpion Kings Live at FNB Stadium on 19 September.
RocoMamas was an official activation partner for the massive concert, alongside brands including SABC1, which was the official broadcast partner.
The King’s Feast was available throughout September before ending on 30 September.
So if you were planning to rush to RocoMamas today for a Madumane Double or Papta Sting, unfortunately, you have missed the boat – or in this case, the burger.
But there is another Scorpion Kings moment waiting tonight.
From the burger to the big screen
Scorpion Kings Live is making its television debut on SABC1 today, Saturday, 3 October, at 20:00.
The concert, which was staged at FNB Stadium on 19 September, will be broadcast for the first time on television, with a simultaneous broadcast on SABC Plus. SABC1 confirmed the broadcast as part of its partnership with the event.
For viewers who were not inside FNB Stadium, tonight is the chance to experience the scale of the show from home.
SABC Video Entertainment Marketing Manager Dichaba Phalatse described the concert as “more than a concert” and “a defining South African cultural moment”, saying SABC1 wanted to bring the energy of FNB Stadium to audiences across the country.
The Scorpion Kings themselves said: “Scorpion Kings Live was too special to be experienced for one night only.”
They added: “Now, for the first time, people across South Africa can relive that experience from wherever they are.”
And that is where the RocoMamas collaboration comes full circle.
The burgers may have disappeared from the menu, but the music is still very much on.
So, what was the foodie verdict?
The Madumane Double was the heavyweight – beefy, saucy, cheesy and carrying enough chakalaka to remind you that this was never meant to be just another burger.
The Papta Sting was the cheekier one – crispy chicken, atchar and jalapeño bringing the sweet-and-sting combination promised in the name.
Neither needed to pretend to be fine dining.
They were burgers.
Big, messy, youthful burgers with a distinctly South African accent.
And perhaps that was the point.
Maphorisa went from selling sweets and running a tuck shop to becoming one of the biggest names in Amapiano. Now his name has been attached to a burger loaded with chakalaka.
Not a bad journey.
The King’s Feast may have left RocoMamas on 30 September, but the Scorpion Kings are back on screen tonight.
So get your snacks sorted, turn up the volume and settle in for FNB Stadium from your sofa.
Just don’t blame us if watching Kabza and Maphorisa perform makes you hungry.
That part is on you.
