Sol Phenduka Reacts to Hawks WO Karl Sander’s Madlanga Commission Testimony: “We’re in Deep Trouble”

• On Tuesday, 1 June 2026, broadcaster Sol Phenduka reacted to testimony given at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry by Karl Sander
• A viral clip showed Sander telling the commission how he was accused of stealing his own coffee machine after thefts occurred at a provincial drug storage facility
• Sol Phenduka expressed concern, saying the situation reflects deeper issues within South Africa’s law enforcement system

Popular broadcaster Sol Phenduka has reacted to testimony presented at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry by senior narcotics investigator Warrant Officer Karl Sander. Sander shared a troubling account of his experience within the KwaZulu-Natal Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI/Hawks).

On Monday, 1 June 2026, X (Twitter) user @Sentletse shared a clip of Sander’s testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. In the snippet, Sander told the commission that he felt intimidated and unfairly targeted after theft incidents were reported at the province’s drug storage facility. He explained that the situation escalated when his coffee machine went missing, leading to him being accused of stealing it.

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Sander further told the commission that he was subjected to a polygraph test and was initially informed that he had failed. However, on Tuesday, 2 June 2026, Sander was later exonerated when Advocate Lee Segeels-Ncube presented the official polygraph results, clearing him of any wrongdoing. In a lighthearted remark during his testimony, Sander said he wanted his coffee machine back.

Watch the video below:

Sol Phenduka reacts to Karl Sander’s Madlanga Commission testimony

As South Africans weighed in on the clip, Sol Phenduka joined the conversation with his two cents. He expressed disappointment and concern about the state of law enforcement in the country, saying the testimony reflected deeper problems within the system. The post was captioned:

“It was painful to listen to this good South African cop's testimony. Breaks my heart how filthy our very top cops are. We are in deep trouble. The rot.”

See the post below:

SA comments on Sol Phenduka's reaction

Sol Phenduka’s comment gained traction and sparked a flurry of reactions.

Here are some of the comments:

@CallMeDreezy2 shared:

“Same, happened to my Auntie Lt-Colonel Elmarie Myburgh, she did criminal forensics. One of just four female criminologists in the SAPS and the only trained profiler. Now just retired, she was sick of all the corruption and Drama. It’s so sad how compromised SAPS is.”

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@julia_busa said:

“Senona must give him his coffee machine back. If it's not him, he knows who took it... This is so pathetic, things stolen in a place where stolen things are investigated... Basadi...they were that low.... 🫤”

@SupremeKen2023 agreed:

“The security cluster is the ordinary citizen’s worst enemy. The people meant to protect us are the ones we should fear the most.”

@YoloRadie remarked:

“It's really 💔, he was treated unfairly, if I had money, I would buy him his coffee machine. I'm hoping police management will do something about him, regarding a promotion; it's really unfair.”

Mzansi raises over R120K for Karl Sander

Meanwhile, Briefly News recently reported that South Africans rallied behind Karl Sander following his testimony at the Madlanga Commission.

After he detailed how he was treated as a suspect when his coffee machine was stolen, a BackaBuddy campaign was launched, and it raised more than necessary.

Source: Briefly News