Zimbabwean National’s Testimony Exposes Alleged Police Links To Organised Crime

• Clive Chigwiku pleaded guilty to his role in a petrol truck hijacking and received a 10-year sentence in the Durban Magistrates' Court
• Chigwiku testified that he approached his former girlfriend, a Brighton Beach police officer, to arrange for police to accompany the stolen truck
• The magistrate raised concerns about the allegations, referencing evidence before the Madlanga Commission on links between law enforcement and organised crime

KWAZULU-NATAL — A Durban court case has raised fresh concerns about alleged collusion between police officers and criminal syndicates, after a Zimbabwean national testified that members of the South African Police Service helped accompany a hijacked petrol truck through the city.

Reports from SA Truckers indicated that Clive Chigwiku, 39, pleaded guilty to participating in the hijacking and was handed a 10-year prison sentence, part of which was suspended after he agreed to testify as a state witness against others allegedly involved, including police officers.

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Alleged plan hatched in Clairwood

According to Chigwiku's evidence in the Durban Magistrates' Court, the scheme took shape on 16 October 2024 during a meeting with Nhlanhla Madzinana in Clairwood. Madzinana allegedly proposed hijacking a fuel-laden truck and selling it to Chigwiku for R400,000. Under the arrangement, Madzinana and an accomplice would carry out the hijacking and then contact Chigwiku, who would collect and relocate the vehicle.

Chigwiku testified that he subsequently contacted his former girlfriend, a serving officer at Brighton Beach Police Station, and asked for the police to accompany them so the hijacked truck could move through Durban without raising suspicion. The officer allegedly agreed, on the condition that those involved would be paid for their assistance.

Police vehicles allegedly deployed

After the truck was reportedly hijacked, Chigwiku said he was directed to wait along Higginson Highway. He arrived in an Audi Q3, and claimed that Brighton Beach officers followed in official police vehicles. The operation collapsed when other police officers arrived at the scene and arrested Madzinana along with a second suspect. Chigwiku and those with him fled, though he was arrested approximately one month later.

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The court also heard that Chigwiku had been earning around R50,000 and had entered South Africa without legal documentation.

See post by journalist Sihle Mavuso here:

Magistrate flags wider concerns

The presiding magistrate expressed concern over the allegations, noting that some police officers appeared to be participating in criminal enterprises. The court also referenced testimony emerging before the Madlanga Commission, which has been examining alleged ties between law enforcement personnel and organised crime networks.

The allegations against the police officers have not been proven in court and remain subject to the appropriate legal process.

12 Police officers arrested over allegations of corruption

Previously, Briefly News reported that police efforts to root out corruption and root out “bad apples” within their ranks have led to the arrest of 13 law enforcement officers in Gauteng over allegations of extortion, corruption and trespassing. The arrests were carried out in the early hours of Wednesday, 23 April 2026, by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit based in Johannesburg. The suspects are facing charges of corruption, extortion and trespassing.

Source: Briefly News