Cash, Cocaine and Questions: Nku's Madlanga testimony unpacked

From R65,000 in cash to claims of a wrongful arrest, here are the biggest revelations from Tumelo Nku's testimony.

Businessman and police informant Tumelo Nku spent two days before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry defending his role in the 2021 Aeroton cocaine bust, fielding tough questions over R65,000 in cash, his relationship with police and the circumstances surrounding his own arrest.

Nku, who returns to the commission on Monday after his evidence was postponed to allow for a supplementary statement, insists he acted as an intelligence source who helped expose one of South Africa's biggest cocaine seizures.

Here are the biggest takeaways from his testimony.

One of the commission's sharpest exchanges centred on the R65,000 in cash found in Nku's possession during the July 2021 operation.

Nku said the money was intended for travel expenses and intelligence-gathering activities linked to his work as an information source.

Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga questioned why Nku had not simply deposited the cash before travelling from Durban.

"What stopped you from taking the money out of the safe, giving it to somebody to go and deposit it?" Madlanga asked.

"Nothing stopped me, Chair," Nku replied.

Madlanga also questioned why Nku chose to travel with such a large amount of cash, with Nku acknowledging the risks involved.

At the centre of Nku's evidence is his claim that he helped trigger the Aeroton drug bust.

He testified that he received information about a truck transporting cocaine from Durban to Johannesburg and passed it to Gauteng Traffic Police Chief Inspector Samuel Mashaba.

According to Nku, he remained at the scene only to observe the operation after providing the intelligence.

Police later intercepted between 715kg and 751kg of suspected cocaine, valued at about R300 million.

Nku alleged that then Crime Intelligence head Major General Feroz Khan ordered his arrest after discovering that he was the original source of the intelligence.

He told the commission that after introducing himself at the scene, Khan instructed officers to arrest him, seize his mobile phones and remove him from the operation.

According to Nku, officers later told him they were merely following instructions.

Khan is expected to appear before the commission on July 1 to respond to the allegations.

Commissioners also questioned whether Nku had a closer relationship with law enforcement than he initially suggested.

Commissioner Sisi Baloyi challenged statements in his affidavit that appeared to portray him as someone working alongside police investigations.

Nku denied having any formal relationship with law enforcement agencies.

Instead, he said he had provided information to individual police officers on an informal basis.

His relationship with Mashaba also came under scrutiny after previous evidence described the two as close associates.

Proceedings were unexpectedly postponed on Friday after both the commission's evidence leaders and Nku's legal team requested time to deal with new developments that emerged during his testimony.

The commission granted the application, with Nku expected to submit a supplementary statement before resuming his evidence on Monday.

His return is expected to provide further clarity on several issues raised during cross-examination, including his role in the Aeroton operation and the circumstances surrounding his arrest.