Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane has strongly condemned the attempted assassination of suspended senior Crime Intelligence officer Major-General Feroz Khan, who remains in a critical condition after being shot in Johannesburg.
Khan was wounded in a shooting in Houghton on Sunday night and is receiving treatment at Milpark Hospital. The motive for the attack remains unknown, and no arrests have been made.
The senior officer has been linked to several high-profile investigations involving alleged corruption, illicit precious metals and the controversial 2021 Aeroton drug bust. He was also scheduled to testify before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday.
Lieutenant General Dimpane has assured the public that law enforcement agencies are committed to bringing those responsible for the attack to justice.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said a multidisciplinary team has been established to investigate the shooting.
"This investigation is being led by the Gauteng Hawks, Gauteng Crime Intelligence and the SAPS Detective Service. The Acting National Commissioner has further directed that the Political Killings Task Team be incorporated into the investigation to ensure that every possible lead is pursued and that those responsible are brought to book," Mathe said.
She added that Dimpane had wished Khan a speedy recovery and extended her thoughts to his family during this difficult time.
Meanwhile, independent policing and crime analyst Dr Mxolisi Mathebula has called for the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry to be extended by at least six months, arguing that Khan's evidence is critical to the commission's work.
Mathebula said the commission is approaching the end of its scheduled term while several key witnesses, including Khan, are still expected to testify.
"We still have the likes of Senzo Mchunu, Mr Carrim, Mr Van Wyk and now General Khan. It is not possible for General Khan to recover within a month because the commission has almost a month to wrap up its work," Mathebula said.
"We would like to hear from General Khan because he has been implicated in a number of other incidents, especially the Aeroton drug bust case. We want to know what happened there."
Mathebula urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to consider extending the commission's timeframe to ensure all key witnesses are able to testify before its work is concluded.