Organised Crime Unit Officer Sergeant Fannie Nkosi testifies at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
A taxi boss, Irvin Mthakathi, was in direct contact with Sergeant Fannie Nkosi, within hours of the brazen murder of Armand Swart, sharing a suspect’s ID and pressing for confirmation on whether the man had been arrested.
Call records and WhatsApp messages presented at the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday reveal a web of rapid-fire communication following the killing, raising fresh questions about the flow of information between law enforcement and private figures.
Nkosi detailed how his phone became a conduit between a Hawks officer known as “Zungu” and Mthakathi on April 15, 2024.
This is the day Swart was gunned down in Vereeniging in what police describe as a case of mistaken identity.
More than 30 calls were exchanged between Nkosi and Zungu. Another 30-plus calls linked Nkosi and Mthakathi.
Nkosi told the commission that Zungu contacted him shortly after the shooting, saying he was en route to the crime scene and needed help identifying suspects believed to be connected to Mthakathi.
“I relayed the message,” Nkosi testified. “I told Mthakathi police believed the suspects were people he knew from Atteridgeville. He said he would check.”
What followed was a steady stream of calls as Nkosi moved information back and forth between the officer and the taxi boss.Hours later, Mthakathi allegedly returned with a name: Danny Mabusela.
“He asked if Mabusela had been arrested,” Nkosi said. “I told him I wasn’t at the scene and couldn’t confirm. He then sent me the ID, but I did not verify it.”
Mthakathi also shared CCTV footage from the scene of the killing.
Mabusela, identified as Tiego Floyd Mabusela, has since been linked to multiple high-profile crimes, including the murder of musician Oupa “DJ Sumbody” Sefoka and his bodyguard, as well as the attempted murder of actress Tebogo Thobejane.
Swart was shot 23 times outside his workplace in Duncanville. Police believe he was wrongly targeted.
The intended victim was reportedly a colleague who had exposed corruption tied to a R1.2 million Transnet tender involving fraudulent procurement.
Investigators alleged that underworld figure Katiso “TK” Molefe ordered the hit.
Instead, Swart paid with his life—caught in a deadly chain of misidentification, criminal networks, and blurred lines between informants and authority.
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