Wednesday 10 June 2026 – Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA) founder Yusuf Abramjee today vowed he would not be intimidated or silenced following explosive revelations that he was allegedly threatened in WhatsApp exchanges between top cop Major-General Feroz Khan and tobacco kingpin Mohamed Sayed.
Court papers before the Madlanga Commission reveal that after Abramjee exposed cigarette brands allegedly being sold without paying due taxes, Sayed messaged Khan saying: “Abramjee gonna get fucked up bru.”
According to the commission papers, Khan allegedly responded: “fuck him up bro”, before adding: “He must stay in his lane.”
Abramjee said the revelations exposed the lengths to which powerful interests may be prepared to go to protect South Africa’s illicit tobacco economy, which robs the country of more than R30 billion a year in vital tax revenue.
“For years we have warned that illicit tobacco is a gateway to corruption, organised crime, state capture and the erosion of public institutions,” he said.
“The threats revealed in these court papers will not deter me. They only strengthen my determination to expose criminality, corruption and the networks that profit from them.”
Abramjee, a lifelong anti-crime campaigner, noted that attempts to silence critics of the tobacco industry were not new.
In 2019, Gold Leaf Tobacco Corporation (GLTC) launched a R50 million lawsuit against Abramjee following his public criticism of the illicit cigarette trade. The case was later struck from the roll.
The latest revelations come as the South African Revenue Service continues a legal battle against GLTC and its directors, Simon Rudland and Ebrahim Adamjee, over allegations involving more than R3 billion in tax evasion and transnational money laundering.
More than three years after Al Jazeera laid out these allegations in its Gold Mafia documentary series, not a single arrest has been made in South Africa and GLTC continues to operate in South Africa after changing its name to Polaris Manufacturing.
Abramjee also highlighted concerns about Carnilinx Tobacco, where Sayed serves as chief operating officer alongside co-director Adriano Mazzotti, a self-confessed tobacco smuggler.
Carnilinx is a principal member of the Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA), which is currently opposing SARS’ efforts to install CCTV monitoring systems in cigarette factories as part of measures aimed at combating illicit trade.
“South Africans have every right to ask why individuals linked to the tobacco industry appear so determined to resist transparency and oversight,” said Abramjee.
“The illicit cigarette market is robbing the country of billions of rand every year while enriching criminal syndicates. No amount of intimidation, threats or legal bullying will stop us from exposing those responsible.”
Last month, Abramjee received the National Press Club/UNISA TV Journalist of the Year Award with colleague Pule Letshwiti-Jones.
He said the Madlanga Commission process must be allowed to run its course and all allegations must be fully investigated.
“The fight against illicit trade is bigger than any individual,” he said. “It is about protecting the rule of law, defending honest law enforcement officers and ensuring organised crime does not gain influence over the institutions meant to fight it.”
-ends-