The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry is beginning its final week of public hearings on Monday before the submission of its second interim report.

The commission is expected to submit the report to the president on 31 May 2026, with proceedings scheduled to resume after the submission.

A new witness is expected to take the stand to give evidence relating to the disappearance of drugs while under the custody of law enforcement authorities.

Last week, proceedings focused extensively on the 2021 theft of 541 kilograms of cocaine from the Hawks' offices in Port Shepstone.

KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Lesetja Senona was once again implicated at the Madlanga commission last week, this time in relation to his handling of the theft of cocaine from the Hawks' offices.

Testimony from a senior Hawks officer and a retired officer suggested that Senona was linked to several irregularities in the handling and storage of the drugs.

The witnesses told the commission it was highly irregular for the drugs to be stored at a Hawks office that had been broken into seven times between 2011 and 2021.

Madlanga commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said the commission will continue along these lines today.

“The Madlanga Commission’s hearings in the week ahead will continue to focus on drug seizures by South African law enforcement agencies, as well as the handling and theft or disappearance of narcotic substances in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.”

The witnesses also testified that from the moment the drugs were seized, it appeared there was already a plan in place for them to eventually be stolen.

This article was originally posted bt EWN