IPID Official Says Some KZN Police Task Teams Conducted Operations to Eliminate, Not Arrest Suspects

• A senior official from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry
• Len Barnabas John claimed that some KwaZulu-Natal police task teams were using lethal force on unarmed suspects
• South Africans took to social media to weigh in on John's claims, sharing varied reactions to his allegations

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

GAUTENG – A senior official from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has delivered shocking testimony before the Madlanga Commission, alleging that certain KwaZulu-Natal police task teams conduct operations not to arrest suspects, but to eliminate them.

Testifying before the Commission on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, Len Barnabas John testified about extrajudicial killings carried out by rogue police units in the province.

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John, the Deputy Director in the IPID Investigation Unit, told the Commission that between 1 April 2023 and 31 May 2026, IPID investigated more than 300 cases, of which 77 involved the deaths of 149 people during task-team operations. He noted that none of the 77 deceased had any recorded cases linking them to criminal activity.

IPID data points to a pattern of unlawful killings

A recurring feature across these cases, according to John, was a mismatch between the number of people killed and the number of firearms recovered at scenes.

"In the majority of our cases, there are fewer firearms found compared to the number of deceased who were at the scene. If three firearms are found and there were nine suspects, it means that six of them were unarmed," he said.

John added that officers routinely offered the same justification: that the deceased had fired first. However, he said IPID had gathered evidence to challenge that account.

Operations timed to avoid witnesses

John further alleged that the timing of these operations was not coincidental. He told the Commission that the majority took place between 11 pm and 3 am, a window he described as deliberately chosen to minimise the likelihood of independent witnesses observing any misconduct.

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He also pointed to the absence of basic investigative procedure, saying that the majority of shootings by task teams didn’t have proper cases. He added that in some cases, the officers could not even provide names of the deceased.

"They are not doing a proper investigation to arrest the suspects. They go out to kill,” he claimed.

How did South Africans react?

Social media users weighed in on John’s claims, sharing some scepticism about them.

@HlopheCebo said:

“He is just making allegations without facts, based on media reports and Mary de Haas.”

Ps Luxolo Mbete asked:

“Do the criminals surrender when they are cornered or do they start shooting at the police?

Quinton Quakes Crawford added:

“The majority, if not all of those people that the cops took out, were dangerous criminals. I don’t see a problem there.”

Emmanuel Nxumalo claimed:

“He is trying to cook something against General Mkhwanazi.”

Auriel Mathebula stated:

“That's because the criminals also go out to kill.”

Stories about shootouts in KZN involving the police

Briefly News reported that there have been a few shootouts in KZN in recent months.

• A suspect believed to be a cop killer was shot dead on the morning of 10 September 2025 after a shootout with police.
• The South African Police Service fatally wounded a paroled murderer on 15 September 2025.
• On 14 October 2025, two suspected armed robbers were shot and killed by police in Waterfall, Durban.

Source: Briefly News