Colonel Francois Steyn of the Hawks in Gauteng testifies at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria on 11 May 2026. (Photo: Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu) Criminal infiltration fears
Hawks officer Colonel Francois Steyn has told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry how R55-million worth of cocaine went missing from a bigger consignment stored in a forensic laboratory.
This suggests high-level involvement in transnational drug trafficking and fits into what the Madlanga Commission is investigating – accusations that a cartel has infiltrated South Africa’s criminal justice and political arenas.
A R55-million stash of cocaine, part of a bigger consignment, was meant to be in secure state custody after police intercepted it in Johannesburg several years ago, but it went missing from a forensic science laboratory.
Hawks officer Colonel Francois Steyn confirmed this to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Monday, 11 May 2026.
Referring to the R55-million cocaine stash that went missing, he said: “It was quite upsetting to us at the time.”
Steyn heads the Gauteng Hawks’ West Rand Serious Organised Crime Unit and is also the Hawks narcotics case coordinator in that province.
It was the first time he had testified before the Madlanga Commission.
More cocaine ‘missing’ from state storage
Last week, the commission focused on a R200-million cocaine consignment that was stolen from the Hawks building in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, in June 2021, in what is suspected to have been an inside job.
On Monday, it turned its attention to the case of the R55-million stash that went missing, which began to unfold the month after the controversial KwaZulu-Natal Hawks building cocaine theft.
On 9 July 2021, a cocaine shipment weighing 715.86kg and worth around R286-million was intercepted in Aeroton, an industrial area in Johannesburg.
The Madlanga Commission heard there were discrepancies in the quantity of cocaine that police officers had recorded.
/file/attachments/orphans/ED_608481_635603.jpg "Colonel Francois Steyn of the Hawks in Gauteng testifies at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria on 11 May 2026. (Photo: Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu)")
At the time of the interception, police said that a truck containing the cocaine was followed from Durban Harbour in KwaZulu-Natal to an Aeroton warehouse, where those who followed it removed the consignment and loaded it into a black bakkie.
It turned out that the driver of the bakkie was a police officer.
Four suspects were arrested: Warrant Officer Marumo Mogana, a Crime Intelligence officer; Warrant Officer Steve Pakula, an Organised Crime Unit member; Samuel Mashaba, who was acting deputy director of Gauteng’s community safety department; and businessman Tumelo Nku.
The court case against them was subsequently withdrawn.
‘Close to chaos’
Steyn, while testifying on Monday, recalled how frenetic the crime scene was after the interception of the cocaine in Aeroton.
“I’d describe it as close to chaos,” he said.
“It was one of the biggest scenes I’ve ever attended, as well.”
Steyn explained how the cocaine consignment was moved around.
/file/attachments/orphans/WhatsAppImage2026-05-11at113445_122593.jpg "In July 2021, a cocaine consignment worth more than R200m was intercepted in Aeroton, a Johannesburg industrial area. Two police officers were among those arrested in the case that was later withdrawn. (Photo: Madlanga Commission of Inquiry)")
The Commission heard that on:
- 9 July 2021, the cocaine was intercepted and taken to the Booysens police station in Johannesburg, where the commander was worried about keeping such a high-value drug consignment.
- 12 July 2021, the cocaine consignment was moved to the police college in Pretoria, where it was kept in safe storage. (Steyn explained that state forensic science laboratories often had very little space for new exhibits because they were usually full.)
- 19 July 2021, the cocaine consignment was taken to a forensic science laboratory.
Various investigations were launched into related matters.
Steyn said that in December, presumably in 2024, he requested to see the cocaine, but forensic science laboratory staffers said that “they couldn’t find the whole consignment”.
‘136kg unaccounted for’
He contacted their commanding officer, a brigadier, asking her to intervene.
In early February 2025, the brigadier contacted Steyn.
He recalled that she told him: “They found the exhibits in their storeroom, but the exhibits were no longer in the brick form but in forensic plastic transparent bags with no markings on [them], but the bags had tags on that [described] the lab number as well as the case number.
“She further indicated that the consignment now only weighed 579.40kg, and hence that 136.46kg was unaccounted for.”
/file/attachments/orphans/pic12_410583.jpg "Cocaine worth more than R200m is sealed in evidence bags after it was intercepted in Aeroton, an industrial area in Johannesburg, in July 2021. Police officers were among those who were the focus of an investigation into the seized drugs. (Photo: Madlanga Commission of Inquiry)")
A kilogram of cocaine was worth around R400,000, meaning the missing cocaine was valued at roughly R55-million.
Steyn said that during a 22 February 2025 meeting, it emerged that the cocaine could still not be accounted for. The Hawks’ national anti-corruption team was contacted.
Steyn’s testimony, combined with what the Madlanga Commission heard last week, means that around a quarter of a billion rands worth of cocaine, meant to be in secure state custody, has been stolen.
Khan and Kadwa
During Monday’s proceedings, several police officers were referred to.
These included Crime Intelligence officer Feroz Khan and Gauteng Hawks head Ebrahim Kadwa. Both hold the rank of Major General.
They had been among the many officers present at the Aeroton scene on 9 July 2021 when the cocaine was initially intercepted.
/file/attachments/orphans/ED_608586_445293.jpg "Crime Intelligence officer Major General Feroz Khan and Gauteng Hawks head Major General Ebrahim Kadwa appear in the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court on 11 May 2026. They face charges related to an illicit precious metals investigation. (Photo: Gallo Images / OJ Koloti)")
Khan and Kadwa were arrested over the weekend in a separate matter and made their first court appearance in Kempton Park on Monday, facing charges relating to illicit precious metals.
They were released from custody, along with a third accused, on R20,000 bail each.
During Monday’s Madlanga Commission proceedings, evidence leader Adila Hassim asked Steyn about allegations from people at the 2021 Aeroton cocaine interception scene that Khan had “prevented” sniffer dogs from conducting an inspection.
He said Khan was no longer present when he arrived at the crime scene, but confirmed that a canine inspection would have been advisable.
Steyn recalled that Kadwa had been at the Aeroton scene – he had been standing outside his car.
Crime Intelligence clashes
Daily Maverick has reported that Khan was subsequently accused of defeating the ends of justice and bringing the South African Police Service into disrepute because of his presence at the 2021 interception.
In related court papers, Khan had said that in June 2023 (two years after the Aeroton interception), he received a letter from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) asking him to make a warning statement, which suggested he was under investigation.
A year later, in June 2024, Ipid recommended that disciplinary steps be taken against him and a few others who had been at the Aeroton scene.
Khan therefore approached the labour court.
Via those court processes, he had countered that his Crime Intelligence boss, Dumisani Khumalo, used the Aeroton cocaine case to try to get rid of him because of his investigation into the abuse of secret service funds, with possible links to Khumalo.
Police bosses denied that Khan was being dubiously targeted.
Khan was successful in court in that an expeditious hearing meant to be held against him was converted to a hearing which saw him being cleared in the Aeroton saga.
The chairperson of Khan’s disciplinary hearing was KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who sparked South Africa’s law enforcement implosion in July last year, when he alleged a drug cartel had infiltrated the criminal justice system, politics and private security.
He previously told the Madlanga Commission he gave Khan a fair disciplinary hearing.
Mkhwanazi also told Parliament’s ad hoc committee, which is investigating his allegations, as is the Madlanga Commission, that Khan had influence among politicians and had bragged about it.
What’s next
Another witness is set to testify before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday, 12 May 2026, about drug interceptions and policing.
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