Madlanga Commission: WhatsApp chats expose alleged SAPS mask tender push during COVID-19
Freshly released extracts of WhatsApp conversations presented before the Madlanga Commission have drawn renewed scrutiny over how Covid-19 procurement processes may have been influenced within policing circles.
The messages, exchanged between Mr Mohammad Sayed and Major General Feroz Khan, appear to centre on two sensitive threads: ongoing police investigations and a proposed tender linked to the supply of SAPS-branded face masks during the height of the pandemic.
In the conversations, Major General Khan is alleged to have urged Sayed to urgently provide mask samples and pricing details. The tone of the exchange suggests a sense of urgency, with Khan reportedly indicating that he was due to meet an unnamed individual who would “make it happen”.
The reference to an intermediary and the push for immediate product submission has raised questions about the informal channels through which procurement opportunities may have been discussed at a time when state institutions were under intense pressure to secure protective equipment.
While the messages do not, on their own, establish wrongdoing, they form part of a broader evidentiary picture now being examined by the commission as it probes allegations of misconduct, procurement irregularities and potential interference in policing matters during the pandemic period.
The disclosure adds another layer to ongoing concerns about how emergency procurement frameworks were managed in South Africa during COVID-19, particularly within law enforcement structures responsible for public safety and enforcement.
As the inquiry continues, the WhatsApp exchanges are likely to be scrutinised for what they may reveal about decision-making processes, informal influence networks and the extent to which official procurement protocols were followed or bypassed.
For now, the commission’s latest disclosure places renewed attention on the intersection of policing, procurement and political proximity during one of the most financially vulnerable periods in recent history.
