Former Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) superintendent Phineas Manyama allegedly bullied, threatened and insulted a junior officer after ordering him to negotiate the release of two cocaine suspects and accept money in exchange for letting them go, the Madlanga Commission heard on Friday.

Constable Michael Potsane, of the JMPD’s Tactical Response Unit (TRU), said Manyama, who has since retired, became furious when he refused to entertain the deal.

“He became extremely angry and told me that I was ‘full of shit’ and that I must not disrespect him. I explained to Superintendent Manyama that we had not called the other officers to the police station. He then abruptly terminated the call,” Potsane said.

Potsane was testifying about a drug bust conducted on 20 July 2025, when he and fellow JMPD officers Constable Nomvula Rikhotso and Constable Mpho Komane arrested two suspects and seized 22 bricks of cocaine.

He alleged that Manyama’s intervention was part of an attempt to protect the drug dealers and those seeking to secure their release.

According to Potsane, the operation had been under way for two to three weeks, with officers monitoring a group suspected of drug dealing, particularly a man with dreadlocks and another individual believed to be Brazilian.

Acting on information from Crime Intelligence, the officers went to the Palm Continental Hotel in Mayfair, Johannesburg, on 20 July, where they suspected a drug transaction was about to take place.

They subsequently stopped a Toyota Corolla Quest driven by one Abdul Hussein, after he allegedly attempted to flee when he noticed their JMPD vehicle.

A search uncovered five bricks of suspected cocaine and a black pistol.

Hussein then agreed to cooperate and took the officers to a house in Lakewood Estate, Ormonde, where they discovered another 17 bricks of suspected cocaine.

Potsane said Hussein had shown them a video of the drugs on his cellphone and pleaded with them not to disclose what he had shown them, warning that he feared for his life.

“He pleaded with us not to tell anyone, saying, ‘Don’t tell anyone because they are going to kill me’. He stated that his cell phone had a tracking function and that his live location was being shared with at least five people. He further stated that his boss was in Dubai and that he feared that he would be killed,” Potsane said.

A forensic report presented to the commission indicated that three of six tested bricks confirmed to contain cocaine carried a “Prestige” marking.

The same marking appeared on bricks shown in a video discussed during businessman and fraud accused Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala’s earlier testimony.

However, the evidence leader cautioned that this did not establish that the cocaine featured in the video and the drugs seized during the operation were the same.

After the suspects were taken to Booysens police station, Potsane said private security officers arrived and attempted to negotiate their release, offering a bribe in exchange for the suspects and the cocaine.

Potsane said he subsequently received a telephone call from Phillip Masetlha, a former taxi owner who had many friends in the SAPS, asking whether he was at Booysens police station.

He later received a call from Manyama, who questioned why other officers had been chased away and reprimanded him during their conversation.

Potsane said he understood Manyama’s instructions to mean that they should release the suspects and the seized cocaine in exchange for a bribe.

“I regarded these instructions as unlawful and did not comply with them,” he said.

He subsequently reported the conversation to his commander, Inspector Ramodike, who instructed them to continue with the arrests.

However, Potsane alleged that the pressure continued during a meeting with Manyama at a Shell garage near Eastgate Mall on 25 July.

He said Manyama repeatedly called them criminals and insisted that they should have negotiated with the suspects and other interested parties instead of proceeding with the arrests.

According to Potsane, Manyama told them they should not undertake drug operations without first informing him and obtaining his permission.

“He stated that, when we go to criminals’ premises or homes, we should communicate with others (referring to corrupt officers or criminals) and negotiate for them to give us money. Once we had received the money, we should let them go and move on. He emphasised that a policeman is not supposed to give money, but that money must be given to a policeman,” Potsane said.

“He further stated that, if we were arrogant and unruly and insisted on having our own way, we would die like many other police officers who had died, adding that police officers kill one another,” he added.

Potsane said he understood the comments as an attempt to control their operations and prevent them from acting against drug traffickers without Manyama’s knowledge.

He also alleged that Manyama referred to his connections with senior police officials, including KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, and claimed he could meet with the provincial police commissioner without the officers knowing the reason.

Potsane told the commission that he regarded Manyama’s conduct as an abuse of his position as their commander, aimed at protecting the suspects, the owner of the drugs and those acting on their behalf, rather than upholding the law.

The commission also heard evidence about the subsequent handling of the suspects’ cellphones.

Potsane said a man who identified himself as an official from the United States Embassy and a criminal investigator had sought access to the devices to download information.

However, Potsane could not verify the man’s identity or official credentials and did not know who had authorised him to handle the evidence.

He was also uncertain whether any cellphone data had been successfully extracted.

The issue prompted questions from commission chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga about why access to police evidence had been sought by an individual whose authority had not been established.

An audio recording of Manyama reprimanding Potsane was played during Friday’s proceedings, with the officer maintaining that the former superintendent had reprimanded them for doing their jobs.

The commission requested a transcription of the recording, and proceedings were adjourned.

INSIDE METROS

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