Senior South African Police Officer Shot in Johannesburg

A suspended senior South African police officer was shot on Sunday evening while driving home in Johannesburg and has undergone emergency surgery, police said. The officer, identified in local media as Maj-Gen Feroz Khan, was attacked days before he was due to appear before the Madlanga commission, a public inquiry examining criminality inside the police force.

Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said in a Monday statement that officers are investigating the incident. "It is premature and irresponsible to speculate on any possible motive or to conclude that the incident is linked to his anticipated appearance before the [inquiry]," she said.

Khan was arrested in May along with two others on charges of alleged illegal gold dealing and unlawful possession of precious metals. He has not commented on the allegations.

The Madlanga commission was established after Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged last July that organised crime groups had infiltrated the government. Khan's name surfaced multiple times during the inquiry, including in connection with a 2021 drug bust in Johannesburg.

Local publication Daily Maverick reported he was expected to face questions about alleged ties to politician Julius Malema and political fixer Brown Mogotsi. This marks the second attack on a witness linked to the commission. In December, another witness was killed in front of his family three weeks after testifying.

Prosecutors said the businessman claimed he was acting as an undercover agent for senior police officers, but investigators found no authorised undercover operation involving precious metals existed at the time. Khan and another officer had instructed officers to release the businessman, according to prosecutors.