Members of parliament’s ad hoc committee probing allegations of criminality in the criminal justice system were left unimpressed by a confusing and sprawling statement presented by a witness during public submissions on Wednesday.
The committee has been hearing evidence from the public. However, the testimony of Pheladi Matjaola, who claimed to be a victim of a high-level cybercrime conspiracy, was met with frustration by MPs.
Matjaola, a former mechanical engineer at Anglo American, alleged that she had been the victim of relentless harassment orchestrated by the former CEO of Anglo American, Themba Mkhwanazi.
She claimed that since 2019, her every move has been monitored via Google and that her family has been targeted.
Breaking down in tears, Matjaola described the emotional toll of the alleged surveillance. “It hasn’t been easy realising that my perpetrator’s sources were following my daughter to school,” she said, explaining that she eventually moved her child from a boarding school in Limpopo to Cape Town for safety. She further claimed she had to quit her job to act as a full-time guard for her daughter.
The atmosphere in the committee room shifted when Matjaola began implicating senior officials in the alleged plot. She accused KZN police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi of interfering in her case to prevent the arrest of the former Anglo American CEO.
This statement is all over the place. There are no page numbers; I am confused.
— David Skosana, MK Party MP
She specifically alleged that a media briefing held by Mkhwanazi in July was a “defensive strategy” designed to block legal action against Themba Mkhwanazi.
When Freedom Front Plus MP Wouter Wessels questioned the nature of the relationship between the two men, Matjaola admitted she had no knowledge of any actual connection between them.
Pressed by Wessels on why she believed the press briefing was intended to shield the CEO, Matjaola deflected, citing the CEO’s departure from the company in June 2025 as proof of “panic”.
The lack of structure in Matjaola’s presentation drew sharp criticism. MK Party MP David Skosana expressed his frustration saying, “This statement is all over the place. There are no page numbers; I am confused.”
Similarly, MK Party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo sought clarity on whether Matjaola had any concrete proof that the police had been influenced to turn against her. Matjaola responded by claiming her cases were repeatedly “removed from the system” and that she was followed by people in branded police vehicles.
The credibility of her testimony was further questioned when she claimed that a security company spotted outside her home, Blue Security, belonged to Mkhwanazi.
When asked how she knew this, she said “TikTok friends” had told her it was his company.
Patriotic Alliance (PA) MP Ashley Sauls criticised her for relying on social media rumours as a source of evidence in a parliamentary hearing.
Committee chair Soviet Lekganyane did not mince words when concluding the session, describing the witness’s conduct as an “abuse of parliament”.
“Since questions have been posed to the witness, she has not been able to respond in a coherent or satisfactory manner,” Lekganyane said.
“You have abused this platform. These MPs have been very patient and gave you a chance to present your problems. What you did to us is horribly wrong.”
Lekganyane emphasised that while the committee empathises with her personal struggles and frustrations, it was unfair to use the platform to level serious, unsubstantiated allegations against public officials.
“We want to represent the people of South Africa. We understand the struggles you have been through, but we will give the police a chance to respond to the questions we will ask them regarding this matter,” Lekganyane concluded.
Testimonies from the public continue.
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