Technical challenges have resulted in the testimony of a crime intelligence officer at the Madlanga commission of inquiry not being aired to the public.
Witness G is a crime intelligence officer who was expected to provide the commission with more information in terms of crime intelligence informants, agents and their operations, among other things.
The matter was supposed to be in camera, with the witness testifying via a video link.
The public would have heard the audio from the witness but not seen their face.
However, the commission encountered several technical challenges, which led to the commission’s chair ordering that they continue to hear it without cameras involved.
“I think it was blatantly clear from what we have witnessed over the last couple of hours since the proceedings started this morning that it was impractical to proceed,” said the commission’s spokesperson Jeremy Michaels.
According to Michaels, Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga — the chaiperson of the commission — also agreed about the impracticality of getting the witness’ evidence via video link. The decision was then taken to bar the media from the proceedings and for the evidence to be taken behind closed doors.
Michaels said they are also still deliberating whether the evidence given on Monday will be made public at a later stage.
Self-proclaimed police agent Brown Mogotsi previously told the commission twisted tales of how he was an agent and tasked with several investigations.
Among the allegations he made was that the Zulu king, Misuzulu KaZwelithini, and KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi were CIA agents. He later withdrew those claims.
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