GROUNDED: Madlanga Commission no-show witness nabbed at OR Tambo airport boarding flight out of SA

A suspect was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport as he was about to leave the country, and his travel plans now include heading to a court to face charges for failing to appear at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

The police have not yet named the suspect, and this detail will be added to this developing story once he has been in court.

He was expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 16 October 2026.

‘International flight’

According to a South African Police Service (SAPS) statement, the suspect, 49, was taken into custody late on Thursday, “moments before he was due to board an international flight”.

The SAPS statement read: “The suspect was arrested for failing to appear before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.”

He was detained by the Commissions Recommendations Task Team, which is following up on and probing matters arising from the Madlanga Commission, which is investigating accusations that a cartel has infiltrated the state.

While the police have not named the suspect, there have been several issues with witnesses not appearing before the commission.

Carrim’s Cape Town visit

About two months ago, in August, it emerged that the Madlanga Commission would lodge criminal complaints against North West ANC member and businessman Suliman Carrim after he repeatedly failed to appear before it.

Carrim’s legal team had put forward medical reasons why he could not testify. But Carrim refused an independent medical assessment, which sparked questions around his condition.

Before that, it emerged that Carrim had been at a shop and an eatery in Cape Town – even though a doctor had deemed him medically unfit to testify before the commission.

Carrim had also wanted an application to postpone his testimony at the commission heard in camera – in other words, to be heard in private.

Earlier this year, when Carrim initially failed to obtain a ruling that his testimony be heard in camera, he was questioned about his ties to various individuals.

He admitted to having dealings with organised crime accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who faces accusations that he colluded with corrupt police officers and is a member of a drug cartel known as the Big Five. (This is the cartel that is alleged to have infiltrated the state.)

Khan and the criminal charges

Another Madlanga Commission witness who has failed to appear before it is former Crime Intelligence officer Feroz Khan.

He was initially meant to have testified before the commission at the start of July, but just days before he was wounded in a shooting in Houghton, Johannesburg.

Khan’s lawyer had also said that his medical condition had prevented him from appearing on a few occasions.

Last month, after Khan again did not appear despite a subpoena, the commission announced it would lodge criminal complaints against him.

He was again expected to testify privately earlier this month, but on the eve of that, his uncle, Preggy Padayachee, was murdered in a shooting in Gauteng.

Padayachee’s murder meant Khan’s testimony did not go ahead as planned. DM

This is a developing story.