DRUGS AND CORRUPTION: ‘Whistleblower suspect broke silence’ on R200m Port Shepstone cocaine theft — Hawks officer

Colonel Gavin Jacob has told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that in February 2026, a suspect approached investigators with details about a R200m cocaine consignment stolen from a Hawks building in KwaZulu-Natal, widely believed to be an inside job. Jacob’s own role in the initial seizure of the cocaine is under scrutiny.

A suspect or informant recently came forward with information about a R200m cocaine consignment stolen from a Hawks building in KwaZulu-Natal several years ago, Colonel Gavin Jacob has told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

Jacob, attached to the Hawks and the commander of Durban’s Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, testified about this development on Wednesday, 3 June 2026.

(He was previously referred to in the commission as Govin and Gavin Jacobs.)

Jacob and a colleague, a Warrant Officer Mpangase, were the first police officers to deal with the cocaine that had been intercepted in Isipingo on 22 June 2021.

The consignment was stored in the Hawks building in Port Shepstone, which lacked sufficient security measures – it was stolen from the premises in November 2021 in what is widely viewed as an inside job.

MADLANGA COMMISSION | Colonel Gavin Jacob says he was unaware of the security issues at the Port Shepstone building, stressing he did not steal the drugs, and he had passed the polygraph test. pic.twitter.com/u1vvWTolLV

Jacob had been on leave at the time information on the cocaine was initially picked up in June 2021, months earlier than the theft. But he still went to the Isipingo depot, where the intercepted cocaine was, even though he was not aware of the quantity of drugs at the scene.

This was among several aspects he was grilled on during Wednesday’s proceedings.

Jacob initially came across as confident, but under repeated questioning in the afternoon, his confidence seemed to dwindle and he made certain concessions in a lowered voice.

His testimony, during which he insisted he was not involved in any criminality, has exposed fresh friction among police officers.

The Madlanga Commission is investigating accusations that a drug cartel has infiltrated South Africa’s criminal justice system, politics and private security.

Reading from a statement prepared for the commission, Jacob on Wednesday said that “during late January 2026, my office conducted investigations into certain drug-related killings and feuds in the Durban and surrounding area”.

He and colleagues, including Lieutenant Colonel KG Sibiya and Lieutenant Colonel Deena Govender, were among those involved in initiating these investigations.