Hawks officer questioned over cash and ties to Marimuthu
Dinadayalan Govender, head of the Hawks search team in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, told the Madlanga Commission hearing that, on the instructions of management, he had driven senior police officers to businessman Timothy Marimuthu. At the hearing on August 31, 2026, the commission also examined Govender’s substantial cash receipts.
As Daily Maverick reports, Govender said he knew Marimuthu. According to him, the businessman has close ties to police and political figures. Govender also said that their children and grandchildren interact closely, and that the men had visited each other’s homes, although he did not describe them as close friends.
Meetings with Marimuthu
According to Govender, Brigadier Campbell Niewswa instructed him to accompany officials to Marimuthu’s home because he allegedly wanted to provide information about criminal activity and cases under investigation. Among the officers he named were Major General Gopaul Govender and Warrant Officer Carl Sander.
On one occasion, Marimuthu allegedly had information about the whereabouts of stolen containers, but Sander already possessed similar information. During questioning, Govender acknowledged that such information is usually found within organised crime circles.
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Govender also confirmed that he knew about Marimuthu’s previous conviction for dealing in 3,390 Mandrax tablets. According to the Jali Commission, in 1992 Marimuthu was sentenced to an effective three years’ imprisonment.
Origin of the cash
The commission examined the sources of funds for Govender’s 2023 purchase of a R2.35 million property in Sibaya. He explained that R1.4 million was an FNB loan, while the remaining R950,000 was paid from several sources, including R165,000 from his son’s savings.
According to Govender’s testimony, Josh Chelin, who worked in the shipping industry and died in December 2025, lent him nearly R400,000 in cash. At the same time, Matthew Chaskalson, who presented evidence at the commission, said that Chelin had given Govender more than R1.5 million in cash. The officer said he received another approximately R300,000 in cash from his mother-in-law and deposited it through an ATM.
Commission chair Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga expressed doubt about the explanation of how the funds were deposited. Chaskalson, for his part, said that a number of transactions, in his view, showed signs of money laundering. Govender insisted that the money he received had been loans.
