We can’t say why a man implicated in the Madlanga commission took his own life days after surviving an assassination attempt. Yet, the death should prompt the justice department to redouble its efforts to protect those who may be in danger during the probe into police corruption.
On Saturday night, Wiandre Pretorius, a man implicated in the torture and killing of another man by police, shot himself at a fuel station. This was days after his car was shot at 16 times in what is believed to have been an attempt on his life.
Witness D, who implicated Pretorius in the inquiry chaired by former deputy chief justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, was himself killed weeks after appearing before the commission.
Alongside a parliamentary ad hoc committee, the commission is investigating allegations that drug cartels and criminal syndicates have infiltrated the police service.
While investigations into both Pretorius’ suicide and the attempt on his life are ongoing, police have confirmed that he was a person of interest — who had been questioned — in the murder of witness D.
It is not the first time that the government has appointed commissions to investigate serious allegations involving dangerous characters. A year ago, Raymond Zondo, the former chief justice, concluded a years-long probe into state capture and corruption. Only one witness allegedly survived an attempt on his life.
Years earlier, Marumo Moerane, a senior counsel, chaired an inquiry into the killing of politicians in KwaZulu-Natal. And the witnesses were not attacked or killed.
The Madlanga inquiry has bucked this trend. Appearing before it has become a dangerous proposition. Two people have lost their lives.
Brown Mogotsi, a businessman-turned-police informant, has had an attempt made on his life. He has expressed fears about appearing before parliament’s ad hoc committee, as has Paul O’Sullivan, the controversial forensic investigator, who appeared before the committee yesterday.
For its part, the commission has taken special measures to ensure witness safety. Disclosing the identity of new witnesses hours before they appear is one of the measures to ensure their safety.
Concealing the identity of witnesses, and sometimes having in-camera hearings, has been another step to protect them from harm.
Up until now, the witnesses have been attacked away from the venue of the commission’s proceedings in Pretoria. This raises a special challenge: how to ensure their safety outside the commission?
Though appointed by the president, judicial commissions are the responsibility of the justice department. Like finding appropriate venues and providing technological support for commissions to hold proceedings, the department has to arrange for witness safety.
Ordinarily, this ought to be a shared responsibility with the police. However, in this instance, the police are among the accused. They cannot reasonably be expected to provide objective professional service when they stand accused of wrongdoing.
The regularity of the witness deaths suggests that the department should employ extra measures to ensure the truth ultimately comes out. The threat assessment is likely to rise as the commission’s work progresses.
Already, the commission has submitted its first report and recommendations. President Cyril Ramaphosa has asked for a task team to be set up to follow up on the commission’s findings and recommendations. This will further rattle the cages of the dodgy people involved in corrupt activities.
The correctional services department has already moved Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, one of the alleged masterminds in the police corruption investigation, to the country’s most secure prison in KwaZulu-Natal.
Matlala, who is awaiting trial for an attempted hit on his former lover, has already testified before the ad hoc committee. As a security precaution, the commission moved its proceedings to a Pretoria prison where he was held before his transfer to eBongweni Super Maximum Correctional Centre in Kokstad.
Commissions are notoriously costly. They run beyond their costs and schedules. Cost considerations shouldn’t be a factor in prioritising witness protection. The justice department should spare no cost in ensuring the success of this all-important inquiry.
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