Madlanga Commission Exposes KZN’s Political Killing Cartels

In the sweltering heat of Pretoria’s Union Buildings, the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has become a pressure cooker for South Africa’s fractured justice system. Launched on September 17, 2025, and chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, the probe was established to dissect the scourge of political killings and criminal syndicates in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)—a province long synonymous with assassinations, turf wars, and electoral bloodshed. Over its first two weeks, the hearings have unveiled a web of corruption that reaches into the highest echelons of policing, politics, and organized crime. At the epicenter: the disbandment of the elite Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), once hailed as KZN’s last bulwark against chaos, only to be gutted amid allegations of political interference.

Khumalo’s Revelations: A Cartel in the Shadows

The commission’s most explosive day came on September 29, when Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, head of SAPS Crime Intelligence and PKTT project leader, took the stand. His testimony, spanning nearly eight hours, was a forensic takedown of the “Big Five Cartel”—a syndicate accused of orchestrating everything from political hits to cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies. Khumalo named Vusumuzi “Cat” Matlala and his associate Molefe as the cartel’s ringleaders, alleging they had “penetrated the political sphere” through bribes and intimidation.

Khumalo’s evidence was damning: Matlala, a convicted CIT heist mastermind, allegedly funneled payments to ANC-connected figures, including Senzo Mogotsi, a close ally of Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. These funds, Khumalo claimed, were used to frustrate investigations and shield syndicate operations. He detailed how the cartel exploited SAPS insiders who leaked probe details, planted false evidence, and even orchestrated the 2025 disbandment of the PKTT to halt an imminent cartel bust.

“Inevitably, the political killings in KwaZulu-Natal were increasing in 2018,” Khumalo testified, linking the cartel’s rise to a surge in targeted murders of ANC and IFP councillors. By 2025, the PKTT had amassed over 120 dockets on political violence, but its dissolution—ordered by Mchunu in July—left investigators exposed to reprisals. “This was not a disbandment; it was a decapitation,” he said, accusing ministerial allies of tipping off the cartel.

CIT Heists: Blood Money for Ballots

At the heart of Khumalo’s testimony lies a sordid financial pipeline: CIT heists as the lifeblood of political patronage. KZN, alongside Gauteng, recorded the highest CIT incidents in 2025, with 26 heists in the province alone by mid-year. The Big Five Cartel specialized in these high-stakes raids, using stolen millions to bankroll hitmen, bail out assassins, and fund party factions ahead of elections.

Public Works Minister Dean MacPherson previously warned that “construction mafias” and CIT syndicates were funding political parties in KZN. Matlala’s crew allegedly laundered heist proceeds through ANC-linked tenders, paying off councillors to secure “no-go” zones for rivals. A September 2, 2025, heist near Richmond left a bystander dead, underscoring the cartel’s ruthlessness.

KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi described the syndicates as a “tactical force prepared for war,” armed with insider intel that turned routine probes into ambushes. The result: a province where, as one activist put it, “lives are controlled by crime.”

Shadows Over the ANC-DA Coalition

The Madlanga revelations land like a grenade in the Government of National Unity’s lap. Formed in June 2024 after the ANC’s vote share dipped below 50%, the ANC-DA pact promised stability but has been dogged by KZN’s volatility. With the DA holding sway in urban councils and the ANC dominant rurally, coalition governance has amplified factional rifts—fueling the very violence the PKTT once contained.

Analysts warn that unchecked syndicates could erode public trust and invite spoilers like the MK Party in the 2026 locals. Khumalo’s finger-pointing at Mchunu—an ANC stalwart—has ignited intra-party fury, with DA MPs demanding his recusal. KZN’s DPP Elaine Harrison slammed the PKTT’s disbandment as “counter-productive,” warning of a rise in political killings that could destabilize the coalition further.

Voices from the Frontlines: Activists Speak Out

Civil society has watched the hearings with a mix of hope and horror. Independent crime analyst Dr. Chris de Kock praised the PKTT’s role in slashing murders but decried its disbandment: “This decision could lead to a rise in killings… it’s misguided at best, malicious at worst.” Political analyst Lukhona Mnguni told Newzroom Afrika: “Mchunu was fully involved with syndicates… this exposes the ANC’s catastrophic failure of governance.” Activists fear the commission will yield “just another dusty report” unless it spurs immediate reforms.

Timeline: KZN’s Spiral into Chaos (2024–2025)

KZN’s “bleeding hills,” as one report dubs them, trace violence back to the ANC-IFP wars of the 1980s. But 2024–2025 marks a modern mutation: crime syndicates as political puppeteers. As the commission adjourns for deliberations, the question lingers: Will Madlanga’s gavel finally silence the assassins, or merely echo in the archives? For KZN’s residents, the stakes are life and death.