General Phahlane

General Phahlane is a former senior South African Police Service officer who served as Divisional Commissioner of Forensic Services from around 2010, where Brigadier Matjeng worked under him. During the commission's proceedings, testimony described Phahlane as the one who typically initiated contact with Mr Matlala, often using Matjeng as an intermediary when direct communication failed, with some meetings arranged without Matjeng's involvement. The record also noted that Phahlane was facing multiple trials at the time, and allegations were raised about attempts to derail an IPID investigation into him, as well as public comments he made suggesting that investigator Paul O'Sullivan was taking over IPID.