The Madlanga Commission has withdrawn Feroz Khan’s application to have some parts of his testimony heard in-camera.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
Madlanga Commission has withdrawn Maj-Gen. Feroz Khan’s application to give parts of his evidence behind closed doors after Chair Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga ruled that the request was too vague to justify approval.
The commission had been expected to hear Khan’s testimony on Wednesday.
Instead, proceedings centred on the withdrawn application after the senior police officer was hospitalised following a shooting in Houghton, Johannesburg, on Sunday.
According to preliminary reports, two unidentified gunmen travelling in a white Mercedes-Benz allegedly opened fire on Khan before fleeing the scene.
His legal team told the commission that he remains unconscious and sedated, leaving him unable to testify.
Counsel said they had obtained Khan’s J88 medical report and were awaiting a medical certificate, adding that doctors have restricted access to him because of his condition.
Although the application has been withdrawn, Khan’s lawyers remain free to submit a fresh, more detailed request for certain parts of his evidence to be heard in camera.
They argued that security risks justified a closed hearing for sensitive testimony, while evidence linked to the "Aerton bust" could still be presented in public.
Justice Madlanga said the original application failed to provide enough information to support such an extraordinary measure, making it difficult for the commission to consider.
Khan’s legal team also revealed they are reviewing an extensive volume of evidence, including about 370,000 pages of WhatsApp messages and a further 11,000 pages of bank records.
They estimated the analysis could take roughly 200 days and requested time to prepare a fully substantiated application.
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