Madlanga Commission hears ex-JMPD superintendent allegedly deployed police to guard Lenasia liquor business

The Madlanga Commission has heard allegations that former Johannesburg Metro Police (JMPD) superintendent Phineas Manyama allegedly used police resources to protect a liquor business in Lenasia, a suburb south of Johannesburg. Former superintendent Elmarie de Beer stated that officers from the JMPD would take shifts to provide security at the business, with each shift lasting two hours.

De Beer also alleged that Manyama directed officers away from areas where criminal syndicates were allegedly active, effectively designating those areas as "no-go" zones for regular policing. The commission further heard that Manyama allegedly arranged for Tactical Response Unit (TRU) officers to escort trucks carrying stolen copper to a criminal syndicate, with the TRU officers reportedly receiving a share of the profits.

In another incident, TRU officers pursued a black Ford Ranger suspected of being involved in a drug transaction, but were instructed to abandon the pursuit after Manyama received a photograph of the JMPD vehicle. Despite the allegations, Manyama retired before disciplinary proceedings could begin. Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga questioned why the allegations were not referred to the South African Police Service (SAPS), noting that JMPD did not need to meet the standard of criminal guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to initiate proceedings. Manyama later tried to return to JMPD but was denied reemployment.