One name that has raised eyebrows during parliament’s ad hoc committee proceedings is businessman Steve Motsumi.
Initially mentioned at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, Motsumi’s name was brought up again on Wednesday by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The committee is investigating allegations of corruption and political interference in the criminal justice system — claims first raised by Mkhwanazi during an explosive media briefing on July 6. Mkhwanazi alleged that criminal syndicates have successfully infiltrated the system.
While testifying, Mkhwanazi described Motsumi as a powerful figure feared by many. When asked exactly who Motsumi is, Mkhwanazi replied, “that’s a million-dollar question”.
Mkhwanazi told the committee that during an April 2025 meeting with suspended KZN Hawks head Maj-Gen Lesetja Senona and alleged criminal cartel member Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, he was briefed on the activities of both Motsumi and suspended deputy national police commissioner for crime detection Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya.
The allegations suggest that Sibiya collected money from Motsumi’s home and received impalas purchased for him.
“They told me about Motsumi, his properties, and how he and Sibiya operate,” Mkhwanazi said.
According to the information Mkhwanazi received, Sibiya allegedly used a police vehicle and a police driver to collect these funds.
Mkhwanazi said Motsumi is a character whose name police officers are even afraid to utter.
“They were afraid to read the name; he (Senona) was afraid to read the name when he appeared at the Madlanga commission,” Mkhwanazi testified. “When they were afraid at the time, they were telling me that I must not disclose that, and eventually, when it was disclosed at the Madlanga commission, they were worried.”
Mkhwanazi added that while he did not want to provide exhaustive details yet, Motsumi is “very prominent” and appears to hold significant power both within and outside the police force.
According to the explanations Mkhwanazi received, Motsumi has allegedly taken over the operations of the “big five” cartel.
The businessman is said to be in control of various interests, including government officials, business tenders and narcotics.
“That’s why they are that afraid. When they described this person as a boss of criminality in the country that they are afraid of, I was not going to expose that,” Mkhwanazi said in reference to why he did not initially disclose the details of his meeting with Matlala and Senona to the committee.
The committee has previously heard of the “big five” criminal syndicate, which allegedly includes Matlala and suspected underworld kingpin Katiso “KT” Molefe.
Mkhwanazi explained that the identities of the other three members cannot be disclosed yet because, unlike Matlala and Molefe, they have not appeared in court.
“We have the other three that we did not reflect here. Their names are known. I must say these are tenderpreneurs,” Mkhwanazi said. “These are the people the government has been awarding tenders to. They’re quite big financially. We didn’t put their names because we didn’t want to implicate people before they appear in court.”
Mkhwanazi added that although he does not know what Motsumi looks like, he has received extensive information about him, and an investigation is under way.
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