TOP QUOTES | The ‘BIG 5’ has penetrated the political sphere - Crime Intelligence Boss

Embattled Crime Intelligence boss, Dumisani Khumalo, testified before the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria on Monday. During his testimony, Khumalo shed new light on a sophisticated organised criminal syndicate known as the 'Big Five'.

Here are some of the key highlights from his evidence:

1. "Amongst these cartels which are made up of different syndicates, there is one identified in the country known as Big Five which have since been identified as being very sophisticated and it has got widespread influence and it's involved in a broad spectrum of their illicit activities."

2. "The syndicates which are operational units of the cartel, they consist typically of between 10 and 12 members that are recruited based on their experience in terms of dealing with one of the commodities that the cartel is specialising on."

3. "The Big Five has already penetrated the political sphere and there are documented cases of high-profile connections in the political arena. Senior politicians alleged to be complicit and or wilfully blind to the syndicate operations."