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Major General Feroz Khan is a career intelligence officer who rose rapidly through the ranks of the South African Police Service (SAPS).

He joined SAPS as a constable in 1991 and become a major general in 2017. Over his career, Khan has headed major units, including the Undercover Agent Programme and Counter and Security Intelligence.

Khan currently serves as the suspended deputy head of Crime Intelligence. His suspension followed serious criminal allegations and political pressure over his conduct within the senior structures of SAPS law enforcement.

On the night of Sunday, 28 June 2026, Khan survived an attempted assassination.

He was ambushed by gunmen in a white vehicle at about 11.00 pm while arriving at his home on Third Avenue in Houghton, Johannesburg. He was shot multiple times in the lower body and abdomen and was rushed to Netcare Milpark Hospital in critical condition for emergency surgery.

The attack came weeks after Khan was arrested on 10 May 2026 following an investigation by rival police units.

That arrest stemmed from a revived 2021 airport incident in which a businessman was caught with illicit gold. Khan and his co-accused allegedly interfered to protect the individual by falsely claiming he was an authorised undercover police operative.

Khan faces criminal charges for illegal dealing in and unlawful possession of precious metals, specifically gold, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice.

However, there is a strong sense in security circles that the gold arrest was simply a means to begin building a much larger and more important case.

His arrest triggered a legal battle over his electronic devices.

When Khan was arrested, the Political Killings Task Team (a team associated with General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi who has been central to blowing open corruption allegations in the police) seized three phones and an iPad. Khan then filed an urgent High Court application to block access to the devices.

He warned that they contained highly sensitive state intelligence, information on undercover operatives, and that data leaks could result in assassinations.

The court struck his application off the roll because the devices had already been legally transferred to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. Khan later dropped all legal bids to shield the devices.

Testimony and court papers linked to the Commission have alleged that Khan acted as a political fixer within the police.

Investigators and whistleblowers have specifically pointed to allegations concerning his political ties to, and protection from, high profile figures such as Economic Freesom Fighters leader Julius Malema and African National Congress fixer Brown Mogotsi.

Khan was scheduled to testify before the Madlanga Commission tomorrow.

His testimony was considered highly critical to uncovering deep rooted rot, political manipulation, and criminal infiltration by cartels inside the South African justice system.

Because his seized electronic devices are now accessible, his appearance was expected to lay bare classified files, expose cross border syndicates, and blow the lid off senior officials and politicians and their alleged criminal activities.

Following the shooting, security analysts suggest that his shooting was arranged to prevent this from occurring.