MADLANGA COMMISSION: Thieves of R200m Port Shepstone cocaine are linked to Hawks bosses, says ‘exonerated’ cop

Policeman Karl Sander was previously told he failed a lie detector test over a R200m cocaine consignment stolen from Hawks offices in KwaZulu-Natal. Sander has now heard that the polygraph examiner made errors on his test, meaning the results are invalid. His belief is that the cocaine thieves were linked to Hawks bosses.

Warrant Officer Karl Sander says that the thieves who stole a cocaine consignment worth more than R200-million from Hawks offices in KwaZulu-Natal in 2021 were connected to the priority crime-fighting unit’s managers.

He testified to this before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday, 2 June, and said that “the links” between the suspected thieves and “the management are known”.

And it was at a depot in Isipingo, KwaZulu-Natal, that the R200-million cocaine consignment was intercepted — months later, it was stolen from the Hawks building in Port Shepstone in what is now believed to have been an inside job.

The Madlanga Commission previously heard that the building lacked proper security measures.

Sander testified before the commission on Tuesday for the second consecutive day, together with four other witnesses during proceedings that stretched into the evening.

Earlier in the day, Sander said that he was previously told he had failed a polygraph test, which detected “deception” on his part over the stolen cocaine.

Sander was never officially informed of this and only saw a document showing he had failed during Monday’s proceedings.

A second report on the polygraph test recorded “no opinion” next to his name, bringing into question the initial finding.

On Tuesday, it emerged that the commission had received an email from a police officer explaining the findings.

The officer explained that the polygraph examiner had “made serious errors” and that the test against Stander was considered invalid.

The commission chairperson, Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, said it meant that “effectively the warrant officer was exonerated”.

The session at the Madlanga Commission got emotional on Tuesday just before the tea break. Warrant Officer Karl Sander broke down in tears at the Commission after detailing the difficult circumstances he worked under. Tune in to #eNCA, channel #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/pdsUkOVozS

The questionable polygraph findings mean that other police officers may also have been found to have acted deceptively when this was not the case.

During his earlier testimony on Monday, Sander explained that he had worked on narco-trafficking investigations at the Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau unit.

However,