Samuel Mashaba

Samuel Mashaba died on Tuesday 13 October 2026 at Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, where he was receiving medical care. The Gauteng Provincial Government announced his death through the Department of Community Safety that afternoon. The cause of death has not been disclosed, and no official source has linked his death to the commission or to the disciplinary case against him.

Premier Panyaza Lesufi said: "On behalf of the Gauteng Provincial Government, I wish to convey our deepest condolences to the Mashaba family following the passing of chief inspector Samuel Mashaba. We also extend our condolences to his colleagues in the Gauteng Traffic Police and the broader law enforcement fraternity, who are mourning the loss of a colleague." Government spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga called his death a profound loss for his family. Funeral arrangements had not been announced at the time of the first reports.

Few details of Samuel Mashaba's early life have been published. Official statements and news reports at the time of his death did not give his age, place of birth or education, and this section will be expanded if reliable information becomes available.

Mashaba served in the Gauteng Traffic Police, the provincial road policing force, rising to the rank of Chief Provincial Inspector. His responsibilities included the Heidelberg weighbridge on the N3, the main highway between Durban and Johannesburg.

In July 2021 he received information that a truck travelling from Durban Harbour was carrying a large consignment of drugs hidden in cargo bound for Scania South Africa. The truck was intercepted at a Scania warehouse in Aeroton, south of Johannesburg, where more than 715 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated street value of about R300 million, were seized. The operation became controversial, and Mashaba was arrested and suspended in July 2021. The criminal case was later withdrawn in court, and in April 2022 the General Public Service Sector Bargaining Council found that keeping him suspended without concluding a disciplinary inquiry had become an unfair labour practice. He returned to work.

In June 2026 Mashaba spent three days testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which was examining allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption in South Africa's criminal justice system. Evidence leader Lee Segeels-Ncube asked why he had not used his team to stop the truck at the Heidelberg weighbridge; he replied that many trucks from Durban carrying illicit goods did not pass through it. He admitted that he had not reported the tip-off directly to the South African Police Service as procedures required.

The commission also examined his relationship with businessman Tumelo Nku, who said he had alerted Mashaba to the consignment. Messages between the two were placed before the commission, and Mashaba acknowledged receiving money from Nku, describing the payments as loans or help from a friend. He said he regarded Nku as a brother. Commissioner Sesi Baloyi questioned him about messages concerning vehicle keys held as an exhibit. Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga told him during his testimony that he was being untruthful. Mashaba had asked to give part of his evidence in private, citing health concerns, but the commission refused.

Within days the Gauteng Office of the Premier placed him on precautionary suspension for a second time, pending a formal disciplinary process. The province said the decision followed admissions that could amount to breaches of the Public Service Code of Conduct, including alleged misuse of official powers and state resources and accepting compensation from a member of the public. He was required to hand over his phones, firearms and laptops and was barred from government premises. The provincial government stressed that the suspension was precautionary and not a finding of guilt.

Mashaba's family has not been named in official statements or news reports. The Gauteng government described his death as a profound loss for his family and loved ones.

Mashaba died with both the Madlanga Commission's inquiry into the Aeroton seizure and his own disciplinary process unresolved. The allegations against him were never tested in a hearing or court, and he was not convicted of any offence. The commission's findings on the case will have to be made without any further evidence from him.