JOHANNESBURG, Thursday 3 September 2026 — The South African Police Service has dismissed Crime Intelligence deputy head Major-General Feroz Khan after he failed to appear before a senior officer handling an expedited disciplinary process, removing one of the most prominent figures implicated in evidence before the Madlanga Commission from the police service.
SAPS confirmed on Wednesday evening that Khan had been “deemed dismissed” under Regulation 9(7)(b) of the SAPS Discipline Regulations.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said the dismissal followed Khan’s failure to appear before the designated senior officer responsible for the disciplinary process.
“SAPS reiterates its commitment to accountability, discipline and professional conduct within the organisation,” Mathe said.
“No member, regardless of rank or position, is above the law or the applicable disciplinary framework.”
The dismissal followed an expedited internal disciplinary process concerning allegations of misconduct and bringing the police service into disrepute.
Khan’s legal representatives have disputed the fairness of the process, arguing that he was medically unable to participate following injuries sustained when he was shot in Johannesburg in June.
His lawyers said on Thursday that they were considering further legal action over the dismissal and described the outcome as resulting from a procedural default rather than Khan being afforded an opportunity to defend himself.
That is the position of Khan’s legal team and does not alter SAPS’s confirmation that his employment has been terminated.
The development follows Khan’s unsuccessful attempt to stop the disciplinary proceedings in the Labour Court.
His urgent application was struck from the roll this week, with the court finding that it lacked jurisdiction and, alternatively, that the matter was not sufficiently urgent. The court did not determine the merits of the disciplinary allegations against him.
Khan had served as deputy national head of Crime Intelligence and has emerged repeatedly in testimony and evidence before the Madlanga Commission.
The commission is investigating allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption within the criminal justice system.
Khan remains under subpoena to testify before the commission.
His appearance was postponed this week after he again failed to appear on medical grounds. The commission has directed him to testify on 28 September or face an independent medical assessment of his fitness to give evidence.
His dismissal from the South African Police Service does not remove the commission’s subpoena or determine the truth of allegations made about him during its proceedings.
Khan also faces separate criminal proceedings.
He was arrested in May alongside Gauteng Hawks head Major-General Ebrahim Kadwa and businessman Tariq Downes.
Prosecutors have accused the three men of offences including defeating or obstructing the course of justice and contraventions of the Precious Metals Act in connection with an incident involving unwrought gold at OR Tambo International Airport in 2021.
They have denied wrongdoing, and the charges have not been proven in court.
Khan was subsequently shot in Houghton in June while already a significant figure in the Madlanga Commission proceedings.
His medical condition following the shooting has become the subject of a separate dispute at the commission.
Evidence presented this week raised questions about medical documents supplied to SAPS in support of Khan’s inability to testify, including allegations that some medical notes may have been improperly backdated.
Those allegations have not been established as findings against Khan or the medical practitioners concerned.
The dismissal represents a significant institutional consequence arising while the wider inquiry into alleged criminal infiltration and political interference in law enforcement continues.
It also creates a vacancy at senior level within Crime Intelligence at a politically sensitive period ahead of the 4 November local government elections.
Crime Intelligence is responsible for gathering and assessing intelligence relating to threats including organised crime, public violence and instability, making the leadership of the division particularly relevant during an election period.
Khan’s lawyers have indicated that the dismissal may still be challenged through another legal process.
Attention will therefore turn to whether that challenge proceeds, how SAPS fills the senior Crime Intelligence vacancy and whether Khan appears before the Madlanga Commission on 28 September as directed.
