BOOK EXCERPT: The Untouchables: A journalist’s career, vindicated in real time
For most South Africans, the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has felt like watching a single scandal unfold. For investigative journalist Caryn Dolley, it’s the latest chapter in a story she has spent more than 15 years – and no shortage of personal risk – pursuing.
In July 2025, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the police commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal, delivered a press conference that unleashed a massive law enforcement scandal in South Africa. Alleging that a drug-trafficking cartel had infiltrated the country's criminal justice system, politics, and private sector, Mkhwanazi called for a combat mode to confront the enemy directly.
The presentation revealed that the investigation had unmasked the syndicate, involving politicians, law enforcement, prosecutors, judiciary, and even businesspeople. The country, still recovering from state capture during Jacob Zuma's presidency, was faced with a crisis that required immediate attention.
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