Madlanga Commission grants Witness M application to testify behind closed doors
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has granted Witness M permission to give evidence in a closed hearing after finding that public testimony could pose a serious risk to the witness and their family.
Commission Chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga granted the application on Wednesday morning after it was presented by evidence leader Tebogo Mosikili.
The application was unopposed by the media and supported by the commission's evidence leaders.
Mosikili told the commission that the application, for Witness M's testimony to be heard entirely in camera, was motivated by serious safety and security concerns.
He also requested an order prohibiting anyone granted access to the proceedings from publishing images, photographs, video footage or any other visual material that could reveal the witness's identity.
After considering the application, Madlanga ruled that it should be granted.
"We've read the application, and we are satisfied that it should be granted," he said.
In an affidavit supporting the application, Witness M said they had been subpoenaed to testify about a drug bust and related incidents currently under investigation by the commission.
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The witness said their evidence would cover how they first became aware of the drug shipment, their surveillance and monitoring of it, their involvement in following the shipment, their relationship with law enforcement officers, their relationship with individuals linked to the shipment and their presence at the crime scene.
Witness M said the evidence is highly sensitive because it implicates heads of state, drug syndicates and crime families, terrorist organisations, politically connected individuals and members of law enforcement.
The witness told the commission that making this evidence public would place both them and their family at serious risk, including the possibility that they could be killed.
According to the affidavit, those fears intensified after the witness's initial engagements with the commission.
Witness M alleged that two unidentified vehicles were seen surveilling their home and that the registration numbers were reported to the commission's Head of Security.
The witness also said their spouse was moved from their residence after the vehicles managed to gain access to a secure estate.
The affidavit further states that Witness M received phone calls from unidentified individuals, which, when viewed alongside the other incidents, heightened concerns that attempts were being made to monitor, intimidate or locate them.
Witness M said they remained willing to assist the commission but could not risk the safety of family members who had no involvement in the matters under investigation.
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