Top policeman Dumisani Khumalo has detailed to the Madlanga Commission how the Big Five drug trafficking cartel allegedly infiltrated political and law enforcement circles, as well as private security. He used WhatsApp messages to back up his claims.
A drug trafficking cartel known as the Big Five, with international links, has penetrated South Africa’s political sphere and is also involved in tender fraud, extortion, kidnappings and contract killings.
When the cartel’s key crimes do not pan out, the members resort to cash-in-transit heists and ATM bombings to make quick money.
Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo, who up until June this year headed the country’s Crime Intelligence unit, testified to this at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Monday, 29 September 2025.
“The Big Five has already penetrated the political sphere and there are documented cases of high-profile connections in the political arena, [with] senior politicians alleged to be complicit and/or wilfully blind to the syndicate operations,” he said.
‘Criminal justice capture’
Khumalo later said that the cartel had “captured some of the key elements within the criminal justice system” to ensure it could sustain its illegal operations.
It aimed to secure “allies amongst the key judicial and law enforcement officials as well as political figures at various levels, but most importantly at very high levels” to manipulate investigations, suppress evidence and obstruct legal proceedings that threatened its operations.
Read more: Madlanga Commission | ‘Big 5’ cartel has already penetrated political sphere — Khumalo
Khumalo’s testimony marks the first time official allegations about the cartel have been put to the South African public.
He named several individuals as allegedly being linked to the cartel, thereby creating the impression that the Big Five has connections extending from the top of the police ministry to high-level South African Police Service (SAPS) offices and into businesses, including private security companies.
The Madlanga Commission is now in its third week.
President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered its creation to investigate allegations that KwaZulu-Natal police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi initially made during a press conference in July.
Mkhwanazi was the commission’s first witness.
His key allegations included that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, now on special leave, was influenced to disband KwaZulu-Natal’s political killings task team to benefit crime suspects who were under the impression the team was investigating them.
However, a Gauteng counterintelligence investigative team had actually been investigating the suspects.
Matlala, Molefe, Mogotsi and Mchunu
Khumalo told the commission that the Big Five cartel was connected to various syndicates that specialised in certain crimes.
Beyond that, it consisted of five key individuals.
Khumalo named only two – Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and Katiso “KT” Molefe.
Matlala faces attempted murder charges and was previously awarded a R360-million contract linked to police health services that has since been terminated.
Read more: ‘No associate, just a comrade’ — Mchunu denies Mkhwanazi’s claim of ties to organised crime accused
Mkhwanazi, during his July press conference, also alleged that Matlala was financially backing the political ambitions of Mchunu and a businessman who Mchunu knew, Brown Mogotsi.
As for Molefe, he is an accused in a murder case focusing on Oupa Sefoka, better known as DJ Sumbody, who was fatally shot in Gauteng in 2022.
Khumalo, during some of his more explosive testimony on Monday, referred to communications, including WhatsApp chats, that he said were obtained from Matlala’s cellphones.
The communications, Khumalo said, were between Matlala and:
Mogotsi, the businessman who knew Mchunu and who Khumalo alleged was “linked to several SAPS officials”.
KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Senona (presumably Lesetja Senona) and his son.
Acting Ekurhuleni police head Julius Mkhwanazi.
Calvin Rafadi, who Khumalo described as an “academic commentator linked to several high-ranking SAPS officials”.
Suleiman Carrim, a businessman who Khumalo alleged was linked to SAPS officials. Daily Maverick established that, based on social media posts, he appears to be linked to the ANC in the North West (which is also where Mogotsi operates as a businessman).
The commission heard that these implicated individuals would be given a chance to have their say.
‘Payments’ and ‘ANC events’
Khumalo, meanwhile, during his testimony, alleged that: “Mr Matlala, or one of his employees, makes payments to Mr Mogotsi directly, sometimes for expenses related to the African National Congress events, and in particular, for the benefit of delegates of such events who are apparently linked to the minister Mchunu through the chief of staff, Mr [Cedrick] Nkabinde, in the office of the minister.”
“In return, Mr Mogotsi uses his influence within the SAPS and the ministry to manipulate SAPS processes so as to frustrate criminal investigations into Mr Vusimuzi Matalala.”
Read more: Khumalo arrest — cops warned that Crime Intelligence clean-up would spark State Capture-style backlash
According to Khumalo’s allegations, Mogotsi had also pushed for him (Khumalo) to face criminal or disciplinary proceedings.
Daily Maverick has reported before that Khumalo was arrested along with six colleagues in June this year in connection with an allegedly irregular appointment.
They denied the accusations.
Mkhwanazi previously inferred that Khumalo was targeted as part of a plot to implode certain investigations.
Back to the Big Five.
Contract killings, kidnappings, extortion
Khumalo, during his testimony on Monday, explained how and where the cartel operated.
The Big Five functioned like a “normal” employer, and its members received regular income for financial stability.
It was headquartered in Gauteng, which Khumalo described as “the economic heart of the country”, and was also operational in KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape.
KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape were key regions, because these had seaports or harbours (critical for transporting drugs via maritime routes).
Khumalo testified that aside from drug trafficking, the cartel was involved in crimes including contract killings, tender fraud, cross-border vehicle hijackings, kidnappings and extortion.
Khumalo said the Big Five was also involved in cash-in-transit heists and ATM bombings.
“This criminal activity is used as a quick cash flow exercise for the cartel in case there are hiccups with the main criminal activity that the cartel is specialising [in],” he said.
Recruitment and private security
Its members were recruited for specific reasons.
“Current officials within the criminal justice systems… will be recruited at entry level because they’re coming with the most critical skill within the cartel, which will be the connection between the cartel and criminal justice system,” Khumalo said.
He explained that as a secondary step in the cartel, members registered businesses.
“In most cases, it’s private security companies that are the initial businesses for the members of the cartel that have just joined.
“There are lots of reasons for that, including access to firearms,” Khumalo said.
People with dual citizenship, and therefore “international reach”, were also recruited into the cartel because this meant they could move across borders for drug trafficking purposes.
Khumalo said the Big Five’s membership was not static.
This was because even if members retired, they could remain involved in rendering certain services, broker deals and act as advisers and informants.
He said the Big Five valued “loyalty, common history, as well as proven capability, more especially to influence the investigations and prosecutions of incidents involving the cartel members”.
The Madlanga Commission is set to resume on Tuesday, when Khumalo is expected to continue testifying. DM
[SRC] https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-09-29-big-five-cartels-dark-web-of-political-ties-and-criminal-operations-unveiled-by-dumisani-khumalo/?dm_source=dm_block_list&dm_medium=card_link&dm_campaign=main
