Feroz Khan's Promotion to General Comes Under Scrutiny at Madlanga Commission
- IDAC senior investigator Brian Padayachee testified at the Madlanga Commission on 14 July 2026 about his relationship with Major General Feroz Khan
- Padayachee confirmed Khan jumped from Colonel to General, bypassing the rank of Brigadier entirely while both worked at Crime Intelligence
- The witness said the promotion raised red flags and he became cautious in all his dealings with Khan from that point forward
Source: Twitter
SOUTH AFRICA - Crime Intelligence Deputy Feroz Khan's promotion to General has come under scrutiny at the Madlanga Commission. Independent Directorate for Anti-Corruption (IDAC) Senior investigator Brian Padayachee took the stand at the Madlanga Commission on 14 July 2026, where his testimony shed fresh light on the controversial rise of Major General Feroz Khan through the ranks of the South African Police Service.
Padayachee was called to address allegations that he had leaked a SAPS docket, linked to an active criminal investigation against him, to Khan. He flatly denied the allegation but confirmed that he and Khan had a strictly professional working relationship.
Khan's rank jump at Crime Intelligence
The moment that stood out most in Padayachee's testimony had nothing to do with the docket allegation. It was what he described witnessing while the two were stationed together at Crime Intelligence. At the time, Khan held the rank of Colonel. Then he heard "whispers in the corridors "that Khan had been elevated to General, skipping the rank of Brigadier altogether.
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Padayachee said the jump immediately made him question how, even though he said there are times that call for a deviation in SAPS.
He noted that the jump was not isolated to Khan alone. During what he described as a corrupt era within the service, rapid and irregular promotions were commonplace. People who had dedicated 20 or 30 years to the organisation were being passed over, while others were being elevated at an alarming pace.
"Some people were being recruited working from supermarkets to the rank of a captain at that era," he said.
His sharpest observation, however, was a personal one.
"The General Khan that I knew is not the same with what is appearing now," Padayachee told the commission, suggesting the man he once worked alongside bore little resemblance to the figure now facing scrutiny in the public eye.
Feroz Khan's Whatsapp messages link to murder
Briefly News also reported that Major-General Feroz Khan is facing explosive allegations after newly released Madlanga Commission court papers linked him to individuals accused of a brutal murder. The allegations form part of a 750-page affidavit that investigators say was compiled from messages allegedly found on devices seized during Khan's arrest in May 2026.One of the allegations highlighted in the commission's court papers is that Wiandre Pretorius, who was allegedly involved in the killing, suggested contacting Khan after Emmanuel Mbense died.
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Source: Briefly News
