After 18 years of suppression, exile, and character assassination, I was publicly vindicated at the Nkabinde Commission of Inquiry. Evidence I had disclosed prior to 2008—including recorded admissions by Major-General Johan Booysen of violent acts against civilians—was introduced in public hearings for the first time, exposing systemic failures within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The most consequential evidence among the three mentioned was a 2006 video recording, made at my Technotronic Electronics computer store in the presence of my spouse. In it, Booysen described repeated acts of racially motivated violence and torture by himself and members of the Cato Manor Unit. This evidence also highlighted the NPA’s deliberate cover-up of the unlawful death of Kwazi, an African schoolchild.
The introduction of this evidence prompted dramatic developments: NDPP Shamila Batohi abruptly left the hearing on 15 December, initially refusing to continue without legal counsel. The incident stressed the gravity of institutional failures and long-standing suppression of whistleblower complaints in South Africa.
Following the hearings, and for the first time in 18 years, I received widespread media coverage, appearing in nationally broadcast interviews detailing the atrocities I had documented and highlighting the NPA’s failure to protect whistleblowers. Public pressure has intensified for
- Full accountability for the officers and officials involved
- Asset freezes on settlements paid to Booysen
- An independent, internationally monitored investigation into historical police killings linked to the Cato Manor Unit
This milestone represents more than individual vindication. It is a wake-up call on human rights violations in South Africa, demonstrating how whistleblowers can be silenced, evidence suppressed, and justice delayed. For the first time in nearly two decades, the truth has been publicly acknowledged, and the era of impunity for those responsible is under scrutiny.
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