A police informant was murdered shortly after exposing corruption by Ekurhuleni metro police officers in an unlawful copper theft operation, a South African judicial inquiry heard on Monday.
Retired Deputy Police Chief Revo Spies testified before the Madlanga Commission that Jaco Hanekom was killed after providing surveillance footage showing metro officers conducting an illegal operation in Meyerton, approximately 75 kilometers outside their jurisdiction.
Spies told the commission Hanekom sent him video clips in August 2022 showing the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department operation where copper cables were confiscated. Spies forwarded the footage to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate in March 2023, informing investigators that Hanekom was murdered on March 17, 2023.
“Because in your statement you mentioned that the whistleblower that provided you the tape was killed shortly after these officers were granted bail,” Commissioner Sandile Khumalo said during testimony.
“That’s correct,” Spies responded, according to testimony broadcast by South African state broadcaster SABC.
The matter was reported to IPID, which arrested and charged several EMPD officers. However, Spies testified the copper theft case has not progressed to prosecution.
Spies told the inquiry the operation was fundamentally unlawful because Meyerton falls outside EMPD jurisdiction and metro police lack authority to conduct such operations without South African Police Service presence.
“This whole operation is irregular and I don’t think there’s any proof within the City of Ekurhuleni that it was ever authorised,” Spies said, according to testimony.
CCTV footage shown to the commission showed unmarked vehicles arriving at a scrapyard premises, with officers in both uniform and civilian clothing conducting the operation.
Spies requested that names of other individuals connected to the case not be mentioned publicly for safety reasons.
The Madlanga Commission was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July to investigate allegations of collusion and corruption between politicians, senior police, prosecutors and elements of the judiciary. Hearings commenced in September with testimony from KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The commission has a mandate to scrutinize the South African Police Service, the National Prosecuting Authority, Crime Intelligence and metro police departments in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.
Reuters could not immediately reach IPID or the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department for comment.
The case highlights concerns about witness protection and the prosecution of police corruption cases in South Africa, where whistleblowers face significant risks when exposing misconduct in law enforcement.
