Suspended Crime Intel. head, Feroz Khan, has been hospitalised after shot on Sunday.
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Madlanga Commission was thrown into a tense procedural dispute after Maj-Gen. Feroz Khan’s lawyers invited commissioners to visit him in the hospital, following claims that his late-night shooting may have been staged.
Adv. Zubair Khan told the inquiry on Wednesday that the family was extending an open invitation for commissioners to personally assess Khan’s condition, insisting he was in a “very critical situation” and not in any state of comfort as suggested in parts of the public discourse.
The move came after growing speculation in media and police circles questioning whether the shooting incident on Sunday was genuine.
Khan’s legal team directly rejected suggestions that the general was “lying relaxed in the hospital, eating jelly,” calling such claims false and damaging.
At the centre of the day’s proceedings was a sharp dispute over an alleged hospital visit by individuals claiming to represent the commission.
Khan’s counsel said police officers and others had entered the hospital and attempted to obtain documents while purporting to act on behalf of the inquiry.
Commission Chair, Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, firmly rejected the claim, stating that no commissioners, senior staff, or authorised representatives had been sent to the hospital.
The commission later disavowed any knowledge of such an incident.
Madlanga warned Khan’s legal team to be careful in their public assertions, stressing that unverified claims risked undermining the integrity of the inquiry.
Following the exchange, Khan’s representatives issued an apology to the commission.
The controversy unfolded alongside a separate legal battle over Khan’s request to give testimony in camera.
The application was previously rejected, with the commission saying it lacked sufficient detail and required a clearer foundation before any closed-door proceedings could be considered.
Co-Commissioner Sesi Baloyi said the evidence leaders, told the hearing that the application remained unclear and inconsistent.
She said Khan’s legal team should withdraw it and submit a new, properly structured request rather than attempt to refine it mid-proceedings.
She stressed that the commission is a judicial inquiry, not a court, and must proceed according to defined procedural standards.
Allowing repeated revisions without resolution, she argued, would stall the process indefinitely.
Khan’s legal counsel maintained that the request is directly linked to sensitive aspects of the general’s condition and requires careful handling.
They argued that even the evidence leaders acknowledge that parts of the matter may need to remain confidential.
However, Baloyi pushed back, saying the commission could not remain on hold while legal teams sought further instructions or attempted to reshape their case without clarity.
The standoff also raised scheduling concerns, with the commission warning that delays in resolving the application could affect witness availability on Friday and Monday.
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