Lebeya says he refused O’Sullivan’s Phala Phala information request
Lebeya testified that he refused to provide any information
Dr. Godfrey Lebeya, a former head of the Hawks, testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Thursday, 27 August 2026 that private investigator Paul O'Sullivan had approached him for an update on the investigation into the Phala Phala matter. Lebeya firmly refused to disclose any information, asserting that he could not discuss the progress of an investigation with private individuals.
He further claimed that O'Sullivan was in his presence when he made the request, accompanied by Dr. Bejani Chauke, who was Cyril Ramaphosa's former political advisor. The information was relayed by Lebeya's legal counsel, Advocate Lee Seegels-Ncube. Seegels-Ncube asked Lebeya if O'Sullivan specified his capacity in requesting the status of the investigation.
Lebeya responded that he only felt as though someone else was asking him to provide the status of the matter, which was under the jurisdiction of the Hawks. He explained that he did not ask for the status because he knew O'Sullivan was not a lawyer and he was unable to comprehend why O'Sullivan would request such information.
Written by urgent.news from SABC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
