PORT SHEPSTONE, KwaZulu-Natal — KwaZulu-Natal Hawks chief Campbell Nyuswa has made significant admissions at the Madlanga Commission regarding the security defects at the facility housing the R200-million cocaine before its disappearance.
The inquiry has zeroed in on the timeline of the November 2021 heist, which involved 541kg of narcotics originally intercepted at the Durban Harbour in June of that same year. In a startling revelation, the commission heard that the seized drugs were left inside the strongroom for months, even after the premises had already suffered a break-in just weeks prior to the final theft.
According to the Brigadier, the decision to relocate the seized narcotics to the Port Shepstone Hawks offices was made after Lieutenant Colonel Gavin Jacob informed him that all other local police stations had been exhausted as potential storage sites. Jacob had previously testified that he considered alternative precincts, including Maiden Warf, Brighton Beach, Durban Central, and Umbilo, before settling on the Hawks facility. The commission also highlighted irregularities in Jacob’s work schedule, noting that he returned from leave without notifying his superiors, briefly engaged with the case, and then immediately departed on leave again.
Nyuswa conceded to multiple procedural oversights during his testimony. He admitted to failing to verify whether neighboring police jurisdictions could supply additional exhibit bags. When pressed on his lack of direct oversight, he cited the severe civil unrest that gripped the province at the time, explaining that he was forced to heavily depend on Jacob as the lead investigating officer to ensure protocols were followed.
A major point of contention raised during the hearings was the legal status of the storage location. Regulatory frameworks dictate that an SAP 13 register—the official ledger used to meticulously track the condition, quantity, and wrapping of evidence—can only be legally maintained at a formal police station, not a specialized Hawks office. When challenged on the risks of keeping high-value evidence in a building with acknowledged vulnerabilities, Nyuswa defended the move by pointing to the structural integrity of the internal vault. He stated that the property owner guaranteed the safe was impenetrable without the proper access, noting that the original and spare keys were in the custody of Hawks head Lesetja Senona.
Despite this assurance, the physical compromise of the vault has sparked deep suspicion. Nyuswa told the commission he was highly skeptical of the initial findings that the perpetrators simply ground through the heavy metal door. He argued that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) should have investigated the likelihood of a staged crime scene and commissioned an expert analysis of the cuts on the safe. To date, he noted, no such expert report has been produced.
The hearings also delved into internal departmental dynamics, specifically addressing rumors that Nyuswa was unduly loyal to the provincial head. Addressing perceptions that he was “General Lesetja Senona’s guy,” Nyuswa categorically denied the claims. He clarified that while both men were appointed to the province simultaneously in August 2020, their relationship remained strictly professional. He emphasized that they have never socialized outside of work, nor have they ever visited each other’s residences.
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi rigorously questioned the Brigadier regarding his ultimate accountability. Baloyi challenged Nyuswa on his failure to ask critical, probing questions about how his subordinates were managing the massive consignment. The commission is now evaluating whether the senior commander’s oversight failures—whether intentional or negligent—directly contributed to the procedural anomalies that ultimately allowed the historic drug heist to occur.