PRETORIA - Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga has ordered KZN Hawks head Lesetja Senona to disclose the name of the second person in the WhatsApp texts allegedly sent to him by KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
This is despite claims that doing so would mean placing his life at risk.
Senona returned to the hot seat on Wednesday for his second day before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which is investigating allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system.
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On Tuesday, he testified about his ‘brotherly’ relationship with controversial businessman and attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
At the same time, he gave evidence on a meeting between Matlala and Mkhwanazi, which allegedly took place on 15 April 2025.
He claims that he attended this meeting to support Matlala, but it was not arranged by him.
He claimed it was arranged by former Police Minister Bheki Cele.
The meeting also took centre stage during Matlala’s testimony before the Ad Hoc Committee on 26 November at Kgosi Mampuri Correctional Service.
That meeting would now be reflected in WhatsApp messages, which Senona testified were sent to him by Mkhwanazi.
During proceedings, evidence leader Advocate Adila Hassim argued that disclosing the second name mentioned in the messages was crucial to assist the commission in its work.
She dismissed claims of risk to Senona, saying the messages themselves contained no threats.
However, Senona’s legal representative, Advocate Palesa Mafisa, insisted that her client’s life would be at risk.
In his ruling, Madlanga said the commission takes into account safety concerns seriously and acknowledged the need to err on the side of caution.
However, he stressed that the evidence before the commission did not support the claimed risk.
He then ruled that the name must be disclosed.