The drugs valued at R200-million stored at the Port Shepstone police storage were destined to go missing.
This is according to senior counsel at the Madlanga Commission, Advocate Mahlape Sello. Her comments during Hawks Counter Narcotics Unit member Gavin Jacob's testimony at the Madlanga Commission.
READ: Hawks investigator claims intimidation after exposing KZN syndicates
Jacob testified that he did not follow protocols when it came to the movement and storage of the drugs discovered in a container in Durban.
Jacob initially told the Commission that he had exhausted all avenues to ensure that the drugs were stored properly. He even said he told his superiors the same. However, it came to light at the Commission that he, after instruction from Hawks Head Leseja Senona, took the drugs to Port Shepstone.
It came to light during the Commission's sitting that the storage facility had been broken into many times before.
READ: Madlanga Commission| Drug-related cases compromise suspects' identity, says Hawks Officer
Also, there's a nearby facility where Jacob could have taken the drugs had ample space the following month. In June 2021, the drugs that were confiscated from the container weighed over 500kg.
However, Warrant Officer Karl Sander, the following month, was able to store 999kg of drugs at the same facility without incident.
"I concede, I made an assumption based on past experience, not on fact," said Jacob.
Karl, Jacob and other colleagues were put through polygraph tests after the theft of the drugs.
Karl faced a trumped-up charge of stealing a coffee machine that belonged to him, which was also missing.
The tests were sanctioned by Senona.
READ: KZN Hawks investigator, Sander breaks down after he's exonerated by Madlanga Commission
He claimed intimidation after he started linking the drugs to various cartels in KwaZulu-Natal. He also found out that many senior officials knew about what was happening and were eager to clear their tracks.
With almost 40 years of service under his belt, Karl was passed over for recognition and promotion. He was subsequently moved from narcotics and placed at Supply Chain. He told the Commission he had applied for an early retirement package at work.
Feeling sorry for Sander's plight, because he said he wanted his coffee machine back, South Africans, via a Back-A-Buddy campaign, have raised over half a million rand.
Senona was due to appear before the Madlanga Commission on Friday. However, due to his legal counsel taking ill, the matter was postponed to a later date.
Rise Mzansi member of parliament Makashule Gana has been elected as the chairperson of the impeachment committee on the Section 89 Enquiry.
The impeachment committee is made up of 31 MPs.
Gana garnered 19 votes while United Africans Transformation (UAT) president Dr Wonderboy Mahlatsi received 12 votes.
READ: Rise Mzansi's Makashule Gana elected impeachment committee chairperson
The committee was constituted following a Constitutional Court ruling about Parliament's handling of the Ngcobo report, which said President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer following the theft at his Phala Phala game farm in 2020.
Gana expressed his eagerness to lead the committee, highlighting the importance of producing a report that can withstand legal scrutiny.
READ: 'The truth must be known': Gana sets tone for impeachment committee
He emphasized that the committee’s findings must reflect the collective work of all members, ensuring the truth is known and the final report is endorsed by the National Assembly.
"I look forward to this responsibility of chairing this important committee. It's the first Section 89 committee in democratic South Africa. So it's important that the work that we do is able to produce the kind of report that will extend legal scrutiny," Gana said.
The National Joint Operation and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINT) has issued a stern warning against violent protest, vigilantism and unlawful enforcement of immigration laws.
The warning comes after incidents of lawlessness that included attacks. NATJOINTS chairperson, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, said such criminal conduct can not be justified.
Mosikili said the country is not governed by intimidation, violence, ultimatums and mob justice.
Mosikili said the government remains in control of the security of the country in upholding the law and the Constitution.
Police are also cracking down on illegal immigration, with 35,000 people arrested since the start of this year.
The violence took a turn after an 18-year-old Nhlamulo Sambo died. His mother, Mikateko, said her son was killed because he was Tsonga.
The police have another version, they said Nhlamulo was killed in a robbery gone wrong.
Mozambican nationals and Tsonga speakers have requested to be evacuated from Mossel Bay.