South Africa - Pretoria - 27 August 2026 - Former National Head of the National Directorate for Priority Crimes (DPCI/Hawks), Lieutenant-General Seswantsho Godfrey Lebeya, appeared before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
Image: Itumeleng English / ANAStudio
Retired Hawks head, Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya, said the private investigator Paul O’Sullivan sought an update on the controversial Phala Phala probe while claiming he was sitting with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s “friend” the then-adviser, Dr Bejani Chauke.
Testifying on Thursday, Lebeya said O’Sullivan phoned him and asked for progress on the Hawks’ investigation.
According to Lebeya, O’Sullivan said he was with Chauke, whom he described as his “friend”.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm gate.
Image: File
“When he phoned me, he said that he was sitting with his friend who's a doctor, and then I just need progress of this status of the case,” Lebeya said.
Lebeya’s testimony puts a fresh spotlight on the interactions surrounding the investigation into the burglary at Ramaphosa’s private farm and the complaints later made against the former Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) head.
Evidence leader Advocate Lee Segeels-Ncube asked whether O’Sullivan had explained why he was seeking the information or in what capacity he was making the request.
Lebeya said he had not.
“He did not say, but I just felt somebody else was asking me to provide him with the status of the matter that is handled by the Hawks,” he testified.
Lebeya said he believed O’Sullivan had no authority to receive information about an ongoing DPCI investigation.
“They have got nothing to do with that. I can't report to any other person about the progress of matters in the DPCI,” he said, adding that he did not question O’Sullivan further because “I know he's not a lawyer”.
Co-Commissioner Sesi Baloyi then asked whether O’Sullivan had named the doctor he claimed to be with.
“He said that he is sitting with Dr. Bejani Chauke, his friend,” Lebeya replied.
The exchange was part of Lebeya’s evidence concerning complaints subsequently brought against him, including allegations involving O’Sullivan.
Lebeya said their relationship had previously been cordial but changed after he refused to provide the investigator with a status report on Phala Phala.
Chauke ceased to be Ramaphosa’s official paid political adviser in February 2023. He has nevertheless remained involved with the Presidency as a voluntary, unpaid Special Envoy for Strategic Relations and Investment.
Lebeya’s account comes as the Phala Phala affair remains under intense scrutiny.
The scandal centres on the February 2020 burglary at Ramaphosa’s Limpopo game farm, where about R10.7 million was allegedly hidden inside a sofa.
An Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) report into the matter was completed in October 2023 and classified “Top Secret” by then-Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
It was declassified on February 2, 2026 after mounting pressure.
The Section 89 independent panel, chaired by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, previously found prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa may have committed serious constitutional and anti-corruption violations.
Parliament rejected the report in 2022 after an ANC majority voted against proceeding with the matter.
That decision was overturned in May 2026 when the Constitutional Court declared the parliamentary vote irrational and unconstitutional, reviving the impeachment process.
Ramaphosa is now pursuing a judicial review of the panel’s findings.
The proceedings continue.
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