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Businessman Tumelo Nku has explained that a consultation with his spiritual leader prompted him to supplement his evidence statement before the Madlanga commission of inquiry.This follows the postponement of his testimony on Friday, after his initial appearance on Thursday.Nku was scheduled to return to the stand on Friday, but proceedings were delayed until Monday to allow him time to finalise his supplementary statement.He is addressing his alleged involvement in the 2021 Aeroton drug bust, where law enforcement seized 715kg of cocaine, worth an estimated R300m, at a Scania depot in Johannesburg.Nku was found parked a short distance from the scene with about R60,000 in cash inside his vehicle. While he claims he was acting as an unpaid police informant, he is accused of being a key facilitator for the drug-concealing containers.Testifying on Thursday, Nku told the commission that he had alerted law enforcement to intercept the shipment after learning about the container.He also defended his presence at the scene and the R60,000 found in his car, claiming the money was business petty cash used for an urgent trip to Durban to meet his source. Nku stated he used cash for toll gates and travel expenses specifically to avoid being traced.However, the commission challenged his timeline and his claim of using cash to avoid a paper trail. Financial records presented during the hearing revealed that Nku’s bank cards were used on the dates in question. According to his bank statements, multiple toll gate fees had been paid electronically starting from July 7 2021.After Thursday’s session, Nku was instructed to return the next day with specific details about his travel, including the name of the hotel where he stayed. Instead, Friday’s proceedings were postponed to grant him time to prepare a comprehensive supplementary statement.Before presenting that statement on Monday, Nku revealed to the commission that he had sought guidance from his spiritual leader, who urged him to be entirely honest.“Upon my testimony on Thursday, I had a chat with my spiritual leader. The dismay was indicated, and it became clear that regardless of what I fear, I must come back to the commission and the Lord will take care of the rest,” Nku said.“There had been reservations in what I inserted in my previous statement, mainly out of fear. After that chat, I saw it fit to correct that and come back to set the record straight. It was a conscious decision I took.”Nku’s testimony is ongoing.TimesLIVE
