A former ANC North West regional treasurer wanted for snubbing the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry was dramatically arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday evening, moments before he was due to jet out of the country.
The arrest was carried out by the Commissions Recommendations Task Team (CRTT), a specialised police unit established to act on findings and failures to cooperate with commissions of inquiry.
Police confirmed the man, whose name is known to Africa Daily, was intercepted as he was about to board an international flight.
“The Commissions Recommendations Task Team (CRTT) has arrested a 49-year-old man at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday evening, 15 October 2026, moments before he was due to board an international flight,” SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said.
“The suspect was arrested for failing to appear before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.”
The man is expected to appear before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court this morning.
The arrest marks an escalation in the State’s approach to witnesses who defy commissions of inquiry.
The Madlanga Commission, which is probing allegations of criminality, corruption and political interference in the criminal justice system, has struggled with witnesses who refuse to appear or who have allegedly attempted to evade summonses.
Under the Commissions Act, failure to appear after being summoned is a criminal offence punishable by a fine or imprisonment.
The law also empowers a commission to request a warrant for arrest.
While police have not named the suspect pending his court appearance, sources close to the investigation said he is considered a person of interest to the commission and had been served with a subpoena on more than one occasion.
Mathe said the CRTT acted on intelligence that the suspect was planning to leave the country.
“The suspect was arrested for failing to appear before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. He is expected to appear before the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court this morning,” Mathe said.
The Madlanga Commission, chaired by retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate explosive claims made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who alleged that criminal syndicates had infiltrated the South African Police Service, the National Prosecuting Authority and the judiciary.
Since its establishment, the commission has heard testimony from senior police officers, intelligence operatives and whistleblowers, many of whom have detailed how investigations were allegedly derailed and dockets disappeared.
Its work comes amid mounting public pressure for accountability after years of commissions whose recommendations were never implemented.
The CRTT was specifically created to prevent a repeat of that history — to ensure that those who fail to cooperate with commissions, or those implicated by them, face immediate consequences.
Police said they are investigating whether the suspect had booked a one-way ticket and whether anyone assisted him in attempting to leave.
He will remain in custody until his appearance in Pretoria, where the State is expected to oppose bail, citing flight risk.
The Madlanga Commission is expected to continue its public hearings next week, with more high-profile witnesses lined up to testify.
