Suspended police officer, Samkeliso Mlotshwa has made explosive allegations against KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Mlotshwa claimed he was tortured by SAPS members including Mkhwanazi.
Mlotshwa made this claim while testifying before the Ad Hoc Committee probing allegations of police corruption on Friday.
He claimed police forced entry into his home in 2024, without a search warrant and later burnt it.
Mlotshwa told the committee he was identified as a prime suspect in Desai’s kidnapping case after the businessman was abducted outside a mosque in KwaDukuza on September 10, 2024.
The case was handled by a multidisciplinary team in KZN that included members of the Hawks and the provincial tracking unit.
The suspended officer testified that police officers forced entry into his home on November 20, 2024, while he was in Maputo.
“The officers did not have a search warrant and later they burned the house down. Days later, on November 23, I was detained in Maputo after I was arrested at a restaurant in Maputo under the claims that he was an illegal immigrant.
“I was taken to the nearest bush where members of SAPS based in Maputo tortured me. When they were tired of torturing me and realizing that I had no knowledge about Desai’s disappearance, they then decided to take everything that I had in my possession, including my passports and money. I was detained there as an illegal immigrant,” he said.
According to Mlotshwa, he was moved on November 28 from a police station in Maputo to the Lebombo border post and handed over to KZN police.
“He described the transfer as an illegal rendition conducted without proper legal procedures before he was formally processed by investigators.
Mlotshwa further claimed that on December 9, 2024, he and two Mozambican co-accused were taken from KwaDukuza police cells to a private farm despite having legal representation. He alleged they were transported in private vehicles belonging to Desai’s brother and were subjected to interrogation.
During the alleged interrogation, Mlotshwa said he and his co-accused were stripped naked and suffocated with a water-filled plastic bag.
“During the torture, the provincial commissioner was present and participated in the torture.
“He went as far as telling me that I should have rather committed suicide than coming to KZN,” he testified.
He claimed Mkhwanazi entered the room and instructed him to undress and squat.
Charges against Mlotshwa were later withdrawn in January 2025, but he remains suspended without pay while the allegations are expected to be addressed before the committee.
Mlotshwa concluded his testimony by accusing national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) of failing to intervene.
“It is disappointing and heartbreaking that the national commissioner and Ipid have dismally failed to act decisively where illegal rendition, torture, and arson have been committed. They need to account and be held responsible for their lack of action,” he said.
Mkhwanazi and Masemola are set to return to the committee to respond to the allegations levelled against them.