The head of the Hawks’ serious organised crime unit Hendrik Flynn says corruption is an inherent feature of organised crime, as he detailed developments in a major drug theft case.
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Almost five years after 541kg of cocaine was stolen from the Hawks’ premises in KwaZulu-Natal, the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday has heard the case has made good progress.
The Hawks’ head of serious organised crime investigations, Major General Hendrick Flynn, testified before the commission on Tuesday, providing insight into the June 2021 theft from Hawks offices in Port Shepstone.
Flynn is appearing in connection with allegations of criminality and corruption linked to drug busts.
The commission’s evidence leader, Advocate Lee Segeels-Ncube, questioned him on the overlap between serious commercial crime, corruption and organised crime investigations.
Segeels-Ncube asked whether a single matter could involve all three categories and how such cases are handled.
Flynn said overlap is common.
“By their nature, organised crime investigations tend to overlap,” he said. “Organised crime cannot take place without some form of corruption.”
He added that corruption is often accompanied by money laundering and fraud, extending into the commercial sphere.
“There is always that overlap, and we address it through a multidisciplinary, multidimensional approach, ensuring all necessary resources are applied to conduct an effective investigation,” Flynn said.
Pressed on whether corruption is always present in organised crime, Flynn said this was based on his experience.
“In order for organised crime to flourish, there must be an enabling factor,” he said. “In my experience, that enabling factor invariably involves corruption.”
He clarified that such corruption can occur in both the public and private sectors.
Flynn also outlined his current role, saying that it is now more strategic than operational.
“I am responsible for maintaining policy and standards applicable to the Serious Organised Crime Investigation (SOCI) component nationally,” he said.
“I monitor performance and provide guidance and oversight on investigations.”
He explained that his office has the capacity to take over investigations where provinces lack resources or encounter difficulties.
“It is not unusual for my office to be directed to oversee or fully take over an investigation,” he said.
In the case of the Port Shepstone theft, Flynn said the investigation was transferred to his component shortly after the incident in 2021, although he only assumed his current position on September 1, 2024, succeeding Major General Khana.
Flynn confirmed that substantial progress has been made since his appointment, though he could not say whether this was coincidental.
He said that immediately after the burglary was discovered, the case was initially handled by local detectives in Port Shepstone.
Shortly thereafter, then Hawks head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya established a dedicated team, with oversight assigned to Major General Khana until his retirement in August 2024.
The case dates back to June 2021, when the Hawks received intelligence about a suspicious shipment at the Isipingo depot, south of Durban.
Cocaine valued at about R200m was discovered inside a shipping container.
The drugs were seized and stored at a Hawks facility in Port Shepstone, but all 541kg was stolen five months later.
Preliminary investigations pointed to poor security at the site, raising suspicions that the theft may have been an inside job.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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