‘Make him lie’ — inside the alleged Khan-Malema intelligence watchdog ousting plot

EFF leader Julius Malema became the focus of Madlanga Commission of Inquiry proceedings on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, when an alleged conspiracy to oust the Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI) was detailed.

For his part, Malema has denied any involvement in such a plot.

His name also surfaced on Tuesday in a scandal he has distanced himself from – the looting of VBS Mutual Bank.

The person connecting Malema to the Madlanga Commission is embattled Crime Intelligence officer Feroz Khan.

Since last week, the commission has focused on evidence against Khan, who was wounded in a shooting in Johannesburg at the end of last month.

While Khan has been in hospital, the Madlanga Commission has proceeded to outline evidence against him, ranging from alleged tender rigging to leaking Crime Intelligence information.

The alleged IGI ousting plot

Tuesday’s proceedings delved into a saga involving former IGI Setlhomamaru Dintwe.

Evidence leader advocate Matthew Chaskalson SC read into evidence messages allegedly between Khan and tobacco industry figure Mohammadh Sayed, who works at the controversial company Carnilinx.

Some messages, allegedly between Sayed and Malema, were also read into evidence.

Chaskalson said it appeared that Sayed was initially messaging Malema on Khan’s behalf and vice versa.

Malema, meanwhile, has denied any involvement in unlawful activities that the Khan and Sayed messages may have implied were linked to him.

According to Chaskalson, on 11 June 2021, Khan messaged Sayed with a list of questions intended for Dintwe.

Where things stand with Malema

In April 2026, EFF leader Julius Malema was sentenced to five years’ direct imprisonment over the unlawful possession of a firearm and related offences carried out during an EFF rally in Mdantsane in 2018.

He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm. A court granted Malema’s defence team leave to appeal against the sentence.

According to a National Prosecuting Authority statement: “Malema remains out on warning pending the finalisation of the appeal.”

The questions related to Timmy Marimuthu, who the amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism previously described as “a former drug dealer previously recruited and paid by Crime Intelligence”.

Chaskalson put it to the Madlanga Commission that Malema was to ensure that Khan’s questions to Dintwe were asked via Parliament, and that it was envisioned that Dintwe would lie in his response, leading to his removal.

At the time, Dintwe was overseeing Khan.

‘Let’s go to war’

The questions (with an incorrect spelling of Marimuthu) emanating from Khan included: “What gratification does the IG of intelligence enjoy from Timmy Mariemuthoo?

“How long has the IG been a captured public servant of Timmy Mariemuthoo?”

Chaskalson said that the day after this, on 12 June 2021, Sayed sent Khan a list of questions about Marimuthu, aimed at Dintwe, and another set of questions for the police minister at the time, Bheki Cele.

Feroz Khan and Crime Intelligence

Feroz Khan is attached to the South African Police Service’s tumultuous Crime Intelligence unit, which has been consistently dogged by allegations and suspicions of corruption and secret fund looting.

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who initially made the accusations of drug cartel infiltration that gave rise to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, does not appear to see eye-to-eye with Khan.

In the broader drug cartel infiltration scandal, it has become clear that there is distrust among Crime Intelligence officers, as well as between policing units.

Sayed also messaged Khan, saying, “Juju sent me now”, thereby implying the two sets of questions were from Malema.

Khan had replied with thanks and added: “Let’s go to war.”

Another message of Khan’s said: “This should get him to lie. And in return we can ask for his removal coz he lied.”

Sayed later replied: “Absolutely he’s gonna deny it and then he’s fucked.

“Bye bye poes.”

‘Trick him into lying’

Other messages screened during the Madlanga Commission proceedings on Tuesday showed a message, purportedly from Malema to Sayed, showing the same Marimuthu questions.

Malema had also allegedly messaged Sayed, saying: “The whole Dr.” (“Dr” is the title Dintwe holds.)

On 20 June 2021, Malema had apparently messaged Sayed, asking when he would be back, and after Sayed replied the following day, Malema messaged: “Ok let’s meet tomorrow evening pls with our Gen.” (“Our Gen” may have been a reference to Khan, who holds the rank of Major General.)

Chaskalson explained on Tuesday how he viewed these collective messages.

He said: “The chats suggest that the primary purpose of General Khan, in raising the issues in the way that he did, was to trick the then IGI, Dr Dintwe, into lying so that if he did lie, he could be removed from his position, a position in which he was exercising oversight over General Khan.”

Malema submitted an affidavit to the Madlanga Commission, which Chaskalson read into evidence during Tuesday’s proceedings.

Malema’s denial and Dintwe’s stance

A section of the affidavit said: “I deny that I conspired to orchestrate the removal of Dr Dintwe.”

Chaskalson explained to the commission that he was trying to locate Dintwe for a statement from him.

He said a news article had quoted Dintwe as saying that he had met Marimuthu in Khan’s presence.

A News24 article dated 11 June reported that Dintwe said the meeting had been about Marimuthu’s complaints against Crime Intelligence.

Dintwe told the publication that he was considering legal action relating to the WhatsApp messages (which were detailed during the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday).

VBS returns

A further issue raised during the commission proceedings on Tuesday related to the VBS Mutual Bank looting scandal, in which Chaskalson said Malema had been implicated.

He referred to a message that Sayed had allegedly forwarded to Khan, apparently from Malema, on 15 June 2021 – Malema wanted to know who the complainant in a case registered with police in Sandton was.

FOR CONTEXT

Beyond reasonable doubt: VBS scandal exposed Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu’s corrupt dealings

August 18, 2021

Khan had replied with a screengrab from a police system showing that the complainant was Anoosh Rooplal.

Chaskalson said Rooplal was the curator of VBS Bank, and the Sandton case Rooplal had initiated related to fraud involving the bank.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, Chaskalson also explained that former VBS chair Tshifiwa Matodzi, who pleaded guilty in the saga, stated in a plea explanation that he had paid money to two individuals, including Malema, to try to buy political protection.

Chaskalson said that Malema was not entitled to a complainant’s name, and it seemed that there was a mutually beneficial relationship between Khan and Malema.

Disciplinary, dinner, more denials

Back to Khan.

Chaskalson also referred to a document that Khan sent to Sayed on 30 July 2021 – a disciplinary notice about alleged impropriety against Khan from the then head of Crime Intelligence. (It was alleged Khan had exceeded his authority.)

Sayed had responded to Khan, asking if Khan had managed to sort out the matter and if he could send the notice “to Juju” – in other words, to Malema.

Khan indicated that he was not yet prepared for that to happen.

Notices from the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry

The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry sent notices to, among other people, tobacco industry heavyweight Mohammadh Sayed and EFF leader Julius Malema to inform them that they might be implicated in evidence relating to Crime Intelligence officer Feroz Khan.

On Tuesday, 7 July 2026, it emerged that only Malema had responded to the notice via an affidavit. This affidavit was read into the commission record.

News of the disciplinary action against Khan was leaked, and Khan sent a link to an article on it to Sayed on 2 August 2021.

The following day, Khan sent Sayed a message saying he was on his way (to Sayed).

Chaskalson said Khan later also sent Sayed a photograph of Malema and Sayed around a dinner table with two other people.

It was not clear who took the photograph.

During the next month, September 2021, Sayed sent Khan a voice note, saying: “Juju called me now. He says that your things are coming along very, very nicely. It’s moving along very rapidly. But just give him some time but it’s going to happen for sure.”

Sayed sent Khan a subsequent message, saying that Malema had apparently told him that Khan “will not ever resign, no matter what, this is a fight and we will emerge victorious”.

Malema, in his affidavit to the Madlanga Commission, said he could not confirm whether extracts of messages between Khan and Sayed were true.

He added: “I do not have knowledge of the exchanges between Mr Sayed and General Khan. I deny any inference that the contents of these paragraphs to the extent they infer any unlawful conduct on my part.” DM

What next?

More witnesses are expected to testify before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which is trying to wrap up its hearings by the end of July 2026.

It will then complete a report on the hearings, which will be presented to President Cyril Ramaphosa.