The Madlanga Commission has heard evidence about the break-in at the home of Daily Maverick journalist Marianne Thamm, which occurred two months after she published an article on senior Crime Intelligence officers.
The article was published in January 2021, and the break-in took place in March that year.
The Commission also heard WhatsApp messages, read into the record by evidence leader Advocate Adila Hassim, between suspended Deputy Crime Intelligence head Major General Feroz Khan and an officer whose identity cannot yet be disclosed.
According to the messages, the officer allegedly stated that a “counter needs to be activated against the journalist” following the publication of the article.
Hassim acknowledged that there is no conclusive evidence linking the break-in to the WhatsApp exchange. However, she argued that the matter warrants further investigation because of the broader implications for the use of Crime Intelligence.
Hassim says, “So the broader systemic concern that I just wish to place before the commission is that the exchange reflects a danger that crime intelligence could be used for factional or personal and retaliatory purposes. And that is something that we should take note of in the commission. Where senior officers or their allies can even contemplate using such measures, then the safeguards are not working. The safeguards are not in place.”
Madlanga Commission of Inquiry Day 133
