Days after Warrant Officer Karl Sander took the stand at the Madlanga Commission, a crowdfunding campaign in his honour has garnered more than R540,000.
Sander was at the Commission on Monday, answering questions related to the probe into the theft of a consignment of cocaine from a Hawks facility in Port Shepstone in 2021.
During his line of questioning, Sander shared the trying conditions he worked under, often feeling targeted, intimidated or never being recognised for his 40 years of service.
The warrant officer spent many years working in narcotics and told the Commission that he was able to expose ties between police and drug syndicates in KwaZulu-Natal – which he believes led to his ill treatment.
He further mentioned a polygraph test that the suspended head of the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal, Lesetja Senona, subjected him to. The test related to the theft of a coffee machine, which Sander claimed belonged to him anyway.
He was told he failed the test, but never saw the results, and on Monday, for the first time, one of the evidence leaders at the Commission showed him the outcome. He was cleared of wrongdoing.
[WATCH] Hawks Warrant Officer Karl Sander becomes emotional after Adv. Segeeles-Ncube reveals a report indicating that polygraph test results on him were invalid. #MadlangaCommission pic.twitter.com/3Js20zZZCE
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) June 2, 2026
This made Sander very emotional, and in turn stole the hearts of many South Africans.
On Tuesday, a BackaBuddy campaign called “Let’s Get W/O Sanders a new Coffee Machine” was launched with the goal of raising R5,000 for this.
“Let’s show Warrant Officer Sanders that his service matters, that his sacrifices have not gone unnoticed, and that South Africans stand behind those who stand for us,” read the statement about the campaign.
By Friday morning, that goal was far exceeded, with R541,145 raised and counting. The campaign is open until the end of this month.
At the R180,000 mark, Sander told News24 that he would be donating most of the money to getting narcotics dogs at the Durban harbour.
He also mentioned donating a portion to the Upper Highway Rail Trail, a community-funded trail on Botha’s Hill in KZN.
