Cyril Ramaphosa must answer for the kidnapping and murder of two men from South Africa’s most popular shopping mall

President Cyril Ramaphosa has been called upon to account for the participation of the Special Forces in an operation that led to the disappearance of two men.

Abdella Hussein Abadiga, who was alleged by the United States to be an Islamic State recruiter and fundraiser, disappeared from the Mall of Africa in December 2022.

Alongside Abadiga was his driver and bodyguard, Kadir Jemal Abotese, who also vanished that day. The two men have not been seen or heard from since.

Twelve SANDF members face charges linked to the alleged kidnapping and murders of Abadiga and Abotese, as well as the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa.

Mathipa, a Hawks investigator, had been investigating the disappearance of Abadiga and Abotese at the time of his murder in August 2023.

The accused have denied the allegations, with all 12 initially granted bail in July 2025, before the Gauteng High Court revoked the bail of six in January 2026.

At the time that the accused were granted bail, the Minister of Defence confirmed that they had received state-funded legal representation under section 60 of the Defence Act.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) recently acknowledged that the Special Forces had played a role in the two men’s disappearance.

This raised questions around evidence previously disclosed before the courts, which the President and the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga, must now answer.

It was previously claimed that the presence of the Special Forces at the Mall of Africa on 29 December 2022 was related to a training exercise.

Additionally, a National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) memorandum has identified a potential risk of perjury as the SANDF attempts to transfer the case to the military courts.

NPA Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions advocate Jacob Serepo found no constitutional basis had been established to grant the SANDF’s request.

Opposition parties have called on Ramaphosa to answer whether he authorised the deployment of the SANDF or Special Forces in the operation, in terms of section 201 of the Constitution.

He must reveal whether the operation involved the South African Police Service, the Hawks, the State Security Agency, or any other state institutions.

He must disclose the legal and operational purpose of any authorisation given, whether Parliament was informed, and when he became aware of Special Forces involvement.

Finally, the President must state whether he will open an independent investigation into the matter outside of the SANDF chain of command.

The Minister of Defence must account for the nature of the operation, the discrepancies in the evidence presented, and the attempt to transfer the case to the military courts.