The Madlanga Commission has been told that the head of the KwaZulu‑Natal cash‑in‑transit (CIT) task team, Lieutenant Colonel Deena Govender, allegedly received more than R2.5 million in suspicious cash payments from a tow truck company owner during a 17‑month period.
Allegations emerge during IPID testimony
The claim was presented by Len John, deputy director of investigations at the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), while he testified before the commission examining policing conduct. John said the payments took place between August 2022 and December 2023.
According to the evidence reported at the commission, the payments came from the owner of M Tow truck company, named in testimony as Clive Naiker, who is described as a suspected drug dealer. The commission heard an allegation that the payments were linked to a promise to kill a rival, Bevan Loftus, although the commission is a fact‑finding inquiry and those claims remain under scrutiny.
IPID told the commission it has obtained records that investigators say cast doubt on how Govender and his family financed recent assets. John said the commission has requisitioned vehicle tracking records and banking statements for Govender and his wife, and has evidence of cash payments connected to a property transfer.
"Commission has requisitioned the AVL vehicle tracking records of Lt‑Col Deena Govender and the banking records of him and his wife. It has also obtained evidence of cash payments made on behalf of Lt‑Col Deena Govender to conveyancing attorneys attending to the transfer of a R2.35 million property in Isibaya, which he and his wife purchased,"
John emphasised concerns that some members of the KZN CIT task team may have been used by criminal actors to target individuals, and that killings could have been staged to appear as shootouts. IPID is investigating alleged extrajudicial killings linked to the KZN unit over recent years.
Income versus apparent expenditure
The testimony highlighted an apparent disparity between Govender's declared salary and the level of expenditure under investigation. John said Govender earned around R28,000 a month while allegedly receiving the large cash payments from Naiker.
| Item | Amount / Period |
|---|---|
| Alleged cash payments received | Over R2.5 million (Aug 2022–Dec 2023) |
| Monthly salary reported | R28,000 |
| Property transfer linked to cash payments | R2.35 million (Isibaya) |
Those figures were used in IPID's submission to the commission to support requests for bank and vehicle tracking information. The review of these records forms part of efforts to establish whether unexplained wealth or corrupt relationships exist.
Broader inquiry into KZN policing
The Madlanga Commission has been probing alleged abuses by police units in KwaZulu‑Natal, including claims that members of the CIT task team may have been involved in unlawful killings without proper justification. IPID's testimony linked the alleged payments and suspicious conduct to wider concerns about collusion between police and criminal networks.
- IPID deputy director Len John provided the testimony to the Madlanga Commission.
- The payments are alleged to have been made by M Tow owner Clive Naiker.
- Investigators have sought vehicle tracking and banking records to verify claims.
The commission is a national fact‑finding inquiry and will consider evidence, call witnesses and make findings. The matter as described at the hearing remains allegations until the commission releases its determinations or criminal investigations result in charges.
For communities in Durban and across the province, the testimony is likely to raise fresh concerns about the integrity of police units tasked with protecting high‑risk cash consignments and the potential for law enforcement to be compromised by organised criminals. The commission's work could have significant implications for accountability in the province's policing structures.
IPID and the commission's processes are ongoing. No criminal charges arising from the testimony were reported at the hearing; investigators continue to review the seized records and examine links between individuals and alleged acts. Further hearings and evidence will determine whether referrals for prosecution follow.
As the inquiry progresses, residents and businesses reliant on CIT protection await clarity on whether the institutions meant to safeguard them have been undermined, and what steps will be taken to restore trust in policing in KwaZulu‑Natal.
