Name of alleged kidnapping kingpin Esmael Nangy surfaces at Madlanga Commission

The name of the alleged Mozambican kidnapping kingpin, Esmael Nangy, has featured prominently before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday.

During testimony of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Hawks boss, Lesetja Senona, the commission heard that Nangy, as well as tender don Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, live in the same luxury Midstream Estate in Centurion.

Nangy has on two separate occasions been arrested in SA - with links to high-profile kidnapping-for-ransom cases - but in at least one of the cases, the charges never stuck.

As early as December 2024, EWN began looking into Nangy - an alleged Mozambican kidnapping kingpin who was previously arrested by Interpol in 2023 at his upmarket estate in Centurion.

Then Nangy was arrested again in late 2024 for the kidnapping of KZN businessman Zakariyya Desai.

Charges against him and three others were suddenly dropped in January last year, with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) not providing clarity on the reasons for Nangy being released.

A month later, Nangy launched a civil claim against eight individuals - including six cops - in reference to his arrest.

KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is listed as one of the accused in the matter, including a senior member of the Hawks in KZN.

Nangy accused them of kidnapping, extortion, and theft, among other charges.

It’s understood that police have been trying to track Nangy down since late last year, but to no avail.

Probes into the Nangy case by EWN revealed that his arrest and subsequent civil case resulted in a major fallout between Mkhwanazi and former Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya.

Police insiders claim the Nangy case was the boiling point of an already strained relationship between Sibiya and Mkhwanazi.