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Warrant Officer Karl Sander from the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal testifies before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on 01 June 2026.
Warrant Officer Karl Sander from the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal has testified about how several police officers became ill after being exposed to fumes emanating from a large quantity of mandrax seized at the CHC Container Depot in Durban.
The mandrax tablets, weighing approximately 570 kilograms, were seized in Durban in 2020 and stored at the SAP13 facility in Isipingo, KwaZulu-Natal.
Sander further testified before the Madlanga Commission that SAPS exhibit bags are designed with micro-perforations, which allow fumes from the mandrax to escape, potentially exposing police officers.
“But that means those fumes are coming off. And the more of a concentrated substance you put in a confined space, that fume increases. Now, in the charge office, there’s a small vent coming out of the armoury as per design spec. So, all the fumes from the Mandrax tablets are going straight into the charge office. And I’m fully aware that some members did book off sick.”
Sander highlighted the importance of using forensic experts when collecting evidence, including taking photographs at crime scenes.
Sander, who is expected to return to the commission on Tuesday, testified about his expertise in drug-related investigations and the 2020 drug bust.
He says photographs taken at crime scenes serve as a permanent record, effectively becoming a museum of the crime scene.
“We’re talking 2020, we’re now in 2026, we’re looking at exactly what happened on that date. If it weren’t for those photographs of that day, we couldn’t talk about it. And if I could not be able to speak, my photograph would speak for me. And if I were not here, touch wood, possibly somebody else could give evidence on that photograph to lead that evidence, as captured by someone that is court-capable and forensically capable of retrieving that.”
MADLANGA COMMISSION | KZN Hawks Warrant Officer Karl Sander explains his involvement in the 1 000kg drug bust. pic.twitter.com/HK6g56lrkx
— SABC News (@SABCNews) June 1, 2026
