Suspended police sergeant Samkeliso Mlotshwa has made explosive allegations against KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, accusing him of being involved in assault and torture after a kidnapping investigation.
Mlotshwa presented his testimony before parliament’s ad hoc committee on Friday as part of a series of public submissions.
Mlotshwa worked as a member of the border policing unit at the Lebombo port of entry. He joined the SAPS in 2006. Mlotshwa also operates a private funeral parlour.
In his evidence, Mlotshwa detailed a harrowing account of alleged power abuse, illegal rendition, torture and arson allegedly carried out by senior SAPS officials.
The ordeal began when Mlotshwa was identified as a suspect in the kidnapping of businessman Zakariya Desai, who was abducted outside a mosque on September 10, 2024. The case was handled by a multidisciplinary team from KZN, including members of the Hawks and the KZN Tracking Team.
Mlotshwa testified that on November 20, 2024, before his formal arrest, police arrived at his home without a search warrant and forced entry while he was in Maputo. According to Mlotshwa, the officers subsequently burned his house to the ground.
On November 23, 2024, while in Maputo for his funeral business to repatriate a client’s remains, Mlotshwa was detained at a restaurant under the pretext of being an illegal immigrant. He claimed law enforcement officials seized his passport, belongings and even a temporary travel document issued by the South African Embassy.
By November 28, he was moved from a Maputo police station to the Lebombo border post and handed over to KZN police — a process he described as an “illegal rendition conducted without due process”.
The situation escalated on December 9, 2024. Despite having legal representation, Mlotshwa and two Mozambican co-accused were allegedly taken from the KwaDukuza police cells to a private farm.
Mlotshwa told the committee they were transported in private vehicles belonging to the kidnap victim’s brother, who was allegedly working alongside the police.
At the farm, Mlotshwa claimed he and his co-accused were stripped naked and suffocated with a water-filled plastic bag. He testified that Mkhwanazi then entered the room.
“I was told by the provincial commissioner to undress until I was naked. I was instructed by Mkhwanazi to squat before my co-accused’s private parts,” Mlotshwa told the committee.
He further alleged that Mkhwanazi participated in the torture, telling Mlotshwa he “should have committed suicide”, while officers suffocated him with a plastic bag until he nearly lost consciousness.
Mlotshwa claims he was offered R500,000 and the repair of his home in exchange for a forced confession against his co-accused.
In January 2025, the charges against Mlotshwa were withdrawn. Despite this, he remains suspended without pay.
Mlotshwa concluded his testimony by accusing national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) of failing to intervene.
“It is disappointing and heartbreaking that the national commissioner and Ipid have dismally failed to act decisively where illegal rendition, torture, and arson have been committed,” he said. “They need to account and be held responsible for their lack of action.”
Mkhwanazi and Masemola are set to return to the committee to respond to the allegations levelled against them.
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