Accountability: Police Sergeant Fannie Nkosi is among a growing list of figures facing charges linked to investigations associated with the commission. Photo: Screenshot
A growing number of criminal prosecutions linked to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry is prompting comparisons with the State Capture Commission – led by former chief justice Raymond Zondo – and whether it is producing quicker criminal accountability.
Even as hearings continue, investigations linked to the commission have already resulted in a widening list of court cases involving police officials, businesspeople and politically connected figures.
Police Sergeant Fannie Nkosi is among a growing list of figures facing charges linked to investigations associated with the commission.
Nkosi appeared briefly in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where his matter was postponed to 22 July to allow the state to seek the centralisation of charges he faces in Gauteng and Limpopo.
Nkosi, who has been denied bail, is among several figures whose legal troubles have emerged from evidence and investigations linked to the Madlanga commission, including
Nkosi has also been implicated in an alleged R2.9-billion tender-rigging scheme involving the City of Tshwane, in which he allegedly pressured chief financial officer Gareth Mnisi to favour private security companies linked to his younger brother.
Last week, the state charged Nkosi in connection with a Thohoyandou case involving the alleged theft of dagga, where he is accused of impersonating an investigating officer. These charges follow his arrest in March for defeating the ends of justice, money laundering and the unlawful possession of explosives and unlicensed ammunition.
Nkosi’s case was postponed for further investigation and to allow prosecutors to combine the Pretoria matter with the Thohoyandou case, scheduled for hearing on 16 July.
The prosecutor told the court that the state intended to apply for the Thohoyandou matter to be transferred and joined with the Pretoria proceedings.
“It is the state’s intention to apply for centralisation for the matter in Thohoyandou to be combined with the one here in Pretoria. For this reason, the state is requesting a postponement until 22 July for purposes of centralisation,” said prosecutor Tholoana Sekhonyana.
The hearing also saw Nkosi’s legal representative Siza Dali formally withdraw from the case.
Addressing the court, Dali said that after Nkosi was denied bail during a previous appearance, he had advised his client to appeal the ruling because another court could potentially reach a different conclusion.
“At the last appearance, when bail was denied, we advised the client that another court could come to a different conclusion regarding the granting of bail and that he ought to appeal that decision,” he said.
The attorney added that Nkosi had not instructed his firm to proceed with an appeal against the bail ruling.
“It is for that reason that our intention today was to apply to withdraw from the matter,” he said.
Another legal firm had already filed appeal papers on Nkosi’s behalf and would assume responsibility for his defence, he added.
The prosecutor confirmed that another attorney had contacted the state to indicate that he had been instructed by Nkosi. Nkosi subsequently confirmed in court that Maliyo Attorneys would represent him going forward. Proceedings were brief before the matter was postponed to 22 July.
“The matter is postponed until 22 July for the purposes of centralising the matters. Bail remains denied,” the magistrate said.
Nkosi is not the only figure linked to the commission now facing criminal prosecution.
Earlier this week, North West businessperson and police informant Brown Mogotsi was remanded in custody pending the verification of his Mmabatho residential address. Prosecutors indicated that the state would not oppose bail at his next appearance, scheduled for 25 May.
Mogotsi faces charges of perjury and defeating the ends of justice after allegedly fabricating a police case relating to an alleged assassination attempt against him. The complaint was laid a week before his first appearance before the Madlanga commission in November 2025.
The case followed Mogotsi’s unsuccessful bid for evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson to recuse himself from the commission proceedings.
Mogotsi alleged that Chaskalson had displayed bias and had pressured him to provide incriminating evidence against North West businessperson and ANC associate Suleiman Carrim. The commission rejected Mogotsi’s claims.
The most prominent criminal case to emerge from the commission’s investigations remains the state’s prosecution of alleged crime boss Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and 17 other co-accused.
In a dramatic development, suspended national police commissioner Fannie Masemola was also implicated in the matter as an alleged accomplice.
Masemola faces charges linked to alleged contraventions of the Public Finance Management Act for his role in approving the controversial R360-million Medicare24 police healthcare tender awarded to Matlala’s company.
While the Zondo commission produced extensive reports detailing corruption across state-owned enterprises and government departments, critics have argued that prosecutions flowing directly from its findings have been slow and uneven.
One of the most significant matters linked to the Zondo commission remains the long-running Transnet corruption case involving former executives and businessmen accused of fraud, corruption and money laundering related to locomotive procurement contracts worth billions of rand.
Former Transnet executives, including Brian Molefe, Anoj Singh, Siyabonga Gama, and former Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba, have faced charges in cases tied to allegations before the Zondo Commission.
However, many of those prosecutions have been delayed by procedural disputes and repeated postponements.
While the long-term outcomes of the Madlanga commission remain uncertain, the pace at which criminal cases are already reaching the courts has drawn sharp contrast with the slower prosecutorial fallout that followed the Zondo Commission.
