Police officer Fannie Nkosi, known as Witness F, told the Madlanga commission that suspended deputy national police commissioner for crime detection Shadrack Sibiya had requested Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala to arrest social media blogger Musa Khawula.
“We received a call from General Sibiya telling me that I must forward this warrant to Mr Matlala because at that time Mr Matlala had a security company,” said Witness F.
He said Sibiya had wanted an immediate arrest as the complainants were the ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula and businessperson Ze Nxumalo.
Khawula was arrested in February 2025 on allegations of cybercrimes and derogatory posts. The topic of his arrest has since arisen at the Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, known as the Madlanga commission.
At the instruction of Sibiya and the involvement of Matlala VIP Protection, Nkosi was questioned about his involvement in Khawula’s arrest on 21 October 2024.
He said Matlala’s company had known the social spots Khawula frequented.
Businessperson Nxumalo had sent Nkosi Khawula’s contact card profile report, identity details, residence address and warrant of arrest. He told the commission he had subsequently received concert tickets to institute an arrest.
Nksosi said Sibiya had requested the assistance of Matlala’s VIP Protection to arrest Khawula because they frequented the same social hangouts.
Nkosi confirmed that Matlala had visited Sibiya’s farm several times and facilitated meetings between them. He said Sibiya’s testimony that Matlala had never visited his office was false and that Sibiya had never told him he did not want the 20 impalas, as claimed in previous testimony.
He denied Sibiya’s claim that he had not received the 20 impalas Matlala had given him as a gift. Nksoi denied having received further amounts from Matlala besides the R20 000 he had received from a police motorbike escort and R5 000 gift.
At the start of the commission, chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga ruled that Witness F could be identified as Sergeant Fannie Nkosi as his name and face had been publicised in the media.
The ruling comes after the police arrested a suspect linked to Witness D, identified as Boksburg police reservist Marius van der Merwe. He testified about the controversial blue lights saga between Matlala and the Ekurhuleni police department.
“While the commission takes the safety of its witnesses seriously and will take all reasonable measures to ensure that its witnesses are not put at risk, it is clear to me that the order that he continue testifying remotely is no longer justified,” Madlanga said.
Nkosi (Witness F) had asked the commission to provide his testimony in camera and offside, citing security concerns. Several high-ranking ANC members, a member of parliament and friends and supporters of the ANC had contacted him to dissuade him from testifying, he said.
Police officer Fannie Nkosi says deputy police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya requested Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala to arrest Musa Khawula
