By Mapaballo Borotho
- The Madlanga Commission has heard allegations that police task teams in KwaZulu-Natal may be working with criminal syndicates and killing suspects before claiming they acted in self-defence.
- IPID Deputy Director for Investigations Len John says 149 people were killed during 77 task-team operations, while law enforcement has been unable to link the deceased to other crimes in these cases.
- Meanwhile, former SAPS official Gregory Loftus has accused a KZN CIT Task Team of killing his son, Bevan Loftus, and denies allegations that his son was involved in the drug trade.
The Madlanga Commission has heard that police task teams in KwaZulu-Natal are in cahoots with criminal syndicates, leading them to kill suspects and then claim it was self-defence.
At least 149 people were killed in cases involving police action by task teams in KwaZulu-Natal, a figure that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) said is quite concerning.
KZN IPID Deputy Director for Investigations Len John claims these killings are carried out by three police task teams.
He testified before the Madlanga Commission about alleged hit squads operating in the province, which are accused of comprising SAPS members involved in extra-judicial killings.
He told the Commission that IPID has evidence showing that, in some cases, suspects did not fire at police as originally claimed by the task teams.
He says members of the task teams appeared to favour using lethal force to eliminate suspects rather than properly investigating cases and making arrests.
John says that across 77 task-team operations involving 149 deaths, law enforcement has been unable to link the deceased to other crimes.
He has also raised concerns about the number of firearms recovered at the crime scenes, saying that in most cases, fewer firearms were recovered than the number of people killed.
The death of Bevan Loftus
Former SAPS official Gregory Loftus claims that his son, Bevan Loftus, whom police had linked to the drug and tow-trucking underworld, was murdered in cold blood by a KwaZulu-Natal CIT Task Team.
Bevan was killed during a police operation in April 2023, along with four other men. KZN police have maintained that the men opened fire on officers, who returned fire.
Loftus alleges that the operation was driven by a R2.5 million hit allegedly placed on Bevan’s life by rival tow-truck operator Clive Nicker, with Deena Govender allegedly involved in carrying out the hit.
Loftus has also denied that his son was involved in the drug trade.
“There are allegations that Bevan was involved in drugs or killing people; I deny that. As far as I know, he lived from the income he received from his towing business and his taxi business,” Bevan’s father, Greg Loftus, said.
He claims his son did not live a flamboyant life but led a modest life.
“I have been in the police service, at some point I would have had an idea if Bevan was involved in drugs and killing people. I vehemently dispute these allegations,” he said.
Loftus is giving his testimony at the Madlanga Commission on Thursday, 13 August 2026.
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