Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga has criticised Hawks detective Phuti Mashala over a string of mistakes in a probe into a R1.5 million robbery in Johannesburg. The chairperson of the Madlanga Commission said the warrant officer’s explanation made no sense.
The exchange took place at the commission on Friday. It was looking at the conduct of Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officers, including Eric Mphahlele.
Mphahlele is accused of taking R1.5 million in cash from businessman Nawazish Ali Raja during a roadside stop in August 2023.
“You are supposed to be a specialised branch of the police, aren’t you?… You are defeating the very purpose of what you sought to achieve. It just doesn’t make sense at all to me,” Madlanga said.
Madlanga was unhappy that Mashala shared details of the investigation with a police inspector he already suspected of being part of the robbery.
Raja told investigators that Mphahlele stopped his grey Mercedes-Benz while he was driving with his wife. The officer asked whether he had a firearm.
According to Raja, the officer then accused him of speeding and asked to search the car. He checked the boot first and then opened a back passenger door.
There, the officer found a large black bag holding R1.5 million in cash. Raja said the money was meant to buy stock, and he said he could prove where it came from.
Raja claimed that Mphahlele did not take him to a police station. Instead, the officer took the bag and told Raja to follow the JMPD vehicle.
Raja said the officer first named Booysens Police Station as the destination, then changed it to Johannesburg Central Police Station. In heavy traffic, the JMPD car drove in the yellow lane and vanished from his view.
Raja also claimed he heard Mphahlele tell a woman on the phone that he had found the money. Investigators later named her as Inspector Immaculate ‘Emma’ Phakoane, Mphahlele’s supervisor.
Mashala told the commission he suspected Phakoane was directly involved. He based this on her phone contact with Mphahlele before and during the incident.
The Hawks’ first alleged mistake came when Mashala and Captain N.J. Tauatswala told Mphahlele that he was wanted for the robbery.
On 14 August 2023, the detectives met Mphahlele at a Sasol garage. There, the JMPD officer allegedly offered them R250,000 to make the case docket disappear.
The investigators also told Phakoane about their planned trap operation, even though Mashala suspected her. Madlanga asked why he would reveal the plan to someone he believed was compromised.
Mashala admitted that telling her may have been a mistake. He said the investigators had believed she shared their view of the case.
“That’s a very glaring mistake by Hawks detectives,” Madlanga said.
“All of this ends up being totally inconclusive. And in my book, I would say you were responsible for that,” Madlanga told Mashala. He added that the investigation seemed to have led nowhere.
“It might be where we lost it wrong; we got it wrong there. It might be where we made a mistake in telling her,” Mashala replied.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.