For most South Africans, the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has felt like watching a single scandal unfold. For investigative journalist Caryn Dolley, it's the latest chapter in a story she has spent more than 15 years - and no shortage of personal risk - pursuing.
In her new book, Caryn Dolley recounts the moment in July 2025 when Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi set fire to South African law enforcement, with explosive allegations of criminal conduct, political collusion, and multi-national organised crime running through it all. Here is an excerpt.
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He is flanked by police officers clutching high-calibre weapons, their faces masked. Wearing Special Task Force camouflage, he looks into the cameras. His eye contact is unwavering, his voice solid. Some watching from home recoil at this steely display. They feel that this brash intimidation is aimed directly at them; they worry that a coup d'état is about to end South Africa's (SA's) Government of National Unity.
Others watch with something closer to hope. They feel that someone is finally taking a stand - putting their security first. As the words leave his lips, friction sparks between the country's policing and political worlds. Suspicions smoulder. An epic scandal ignites. On Sunday 6 July 2025, when most South Africans are trying to avoid direct eye contact with the impending work week, KwaZulu-Natal's police commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, holds a press conference and calmly detonates the biggest law enforcement scandal democratic SA has ever seen - alleging that a drug-trafficking...
