For years, Steve Motsumi moved through Johannesburg’s business world quietly — a construction entrepreneur, a money lender, a figure embedded in the taxi industry — living behind the walls of a heavily secured estate in the city’s northern suburbs. He rarely appeared in public, preferring to conduct his affairs from a careful distance, keeping both his personal life and his alleged criminal networks far from the spotlight.
That carefully maintained anonymity began to unravel when his name emerged at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where he has since been described by multiple witnesses as one of the most dangerous and influential figures connected to alleged police corruption and organised crime in South Africa.
The commission has heard extraordinary testimony from witnesses who, at first, refused to name him directly — referring to him only as “Mr So-and-so” or “the dangerous man” — out of genuine fear of retaliation. It was only in late January 2026 that Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga ordered his name to be disclosed publicly, marking a turning point in the proceedings.
Motsumi is also said to operate under several aliases, including “Mthakathi”, “RR”, and “Mswazi” — names that witnesses have used to describe a figure who allegedly wielded influence far beyond his formal business interests.
Steve Motsumi’s Alleged Links to Police Corruption and the “Big Five” Cartel
One of the most significant testimonies came from Witness F, identified as Sergeant Fannie Nkosi, who described serving as a middleman between Motsumi and suspended Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya. According to Nkosi, he facilitated direct meetings between the two men, exchanged confidential police documents, and forwarded sensitive messages — suggesting that Motsumi had access to classified SAPS intelligence through Sibiya.
Nkosi went further, confessing to sharing confidential police reports relating to a R360 million contract with Motsumi — a disclosure that raised serious alarm about how deeply criminal interests may have penetrated the country’s top law enforcement structures.
The commission also heard from KwaZulu-Natal Hawks Major General Lesetja Senona, whose testimony reinforced the view that Motsumi was not simply a businessman navigating grey areas, but a power broker with entrenched ties to criminal syndicates operating within and alongside the South African Police Service.
Separately, testimony linked Motsumi to an extortion case involving Major-General Richard Shibiri, in which it was alleged that 50% of chrome production from a mine in Brits was demanded — an accusation that paints a picture of organised economic predation at a significant scale.
While Shibiri was reluctant to name cartel members openly during proceedings, he acknowledged awareness of individuals connected to the so-called “Big Five” — a criminal grouping in which Motsumi has been heavily implicated. The alleged cartel is said to include Joseph “Ferrari” Sibanyoni, Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, Katiso “KT” Molefe, and the late Jotham “King Mswazi” Msibi. Together, this group stands accused of orchestrating violence, manipulating police investigations, and exerting control over lucrative sectors of the South African economy.
Motsumi’s alleged ownership of a private security company, combined with his known footprint in the taxi industry, appears to have given him both economic leverage and the kind of grassroots influence that makes him difficult to challenge. Witnesses have consistently cited a climate of intimidation when asked to speak about him — an atmosphere the commission itself has had to navigate carefully.
The Madlanga Commission is focused squarely on how individuals like Motsumi may have influenced police operations from within, compromised investigations, and eroded institutional accountability in one of South Africa’s most critical public bodies. As hearings continue, prosecutors and investigators are expected to present further evidence unpacking the full scope of his alleged role — and the network that allegedly allowed him to operate in the shadows for so long.
What the commission has already established is significant: the name that once went unspoken in open proceedings has become central to one of the most consequential inquiries into organised crime and police corruption that South Africa has seen in recent years.