Senior Hawks official in the middle of deploying police to Katiso, a township where multiple murderers are accused “KT” Molefe’s home on the day he was arrested could land in hot water.This comes after Brig Lesiba Mokoena told the commission yesterday he did not participate in the WhatsApp group that mobilised Hawks officers to go to Molefe’s house in December 2024.According to KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, Molefe is part of the criminal cartel protected by senior police officials.I called Capt Kruger and told him to go and verify this. He told me that he’s from an operation in Rustenburg, and that he’d rush to the scene— Brig Lesiba MokoenaOn December 6, the Gauteng counterintelligence team, together with some members of the political killings task team, went to Molefe’s home in Sandhurst, Johannesburg, to arrest him for Vaal engineer Armand Swart’s brutal murder.Swart’s company had flagged corruption with a tender related to Transnet, and police believe he was killed in a hail of bullets in a case of mistaken identity.Mokoena said that, on the day of the arrest, he received a call from his commander, Maj-Gen Patrick Mbotho, who told him Hawks head Maj-Gen Godfrey Lebeya had received a call that there were people allegedly posing as Lebeya at Molefe’s property.“I called Capt Kruger and told him to go and verify this. He told me that he’s from an operation in Rustenburg, and that he’d rush to the scene,” Mokoena sent only two officers to verify the information because sending a larger group could have been dangerous. “lead to a violent confrontation”.Former PKTT member Capt Maxwell Wanda told the commission earlier yesterday there were between six to eight Hawks officers who arrived in three cars.He said he sent Molefe’s address and information on the two cars believed to be at the scene to Kruger via text. However, Kruger told the commission he was in Pretoria North, and when the call came in, he told Mokoena his car had worn-out tyres, had no blue lights, and that it would take long for him to get there, as it was a Friday afternoon.Due to the constant calls he received from Mokoena, Kruger created a WhatsApp group to check if there was any member close to Molefe’s house.He said he added Mokoena to it. “I wanted information to flow much quicker so that when we update, we notify very quietly,” said Kruger.He said chief inspector of the Gauteng Traffic Police Air Wing George Raftopoulos, who flew the helicopter above Molefe’s house, was also added to the group. Kruger said he added him, instead of calling nearby police, because Raftopoulus was trusted by the Hawks and they worked with him often.Ten minutes before Raftopoulos arrived at Molefe’s house just before 5pm, he sent a message to the group, saying the operation was legitimate, and was led by head of crime intelligence Gen Dumisani Khumalo. However, the Hawks officers proceeded to Molefe’s home, and it took Mokoena more than an hour to withdraw them.Kruger said Mokoena participated in the WhatsApp group and before they could close it, he asked Mokoena if it was okay, and he got a thumbs up to close it.Commissioner Sandile Khumalo had earlier asked Mokoena what should happen if Kruger confirms that he [Mokoena] Participated in a group. “If indeed he [Kruger] can confirm that, then I’d be wrong, and I will issue an apology. And, secondly, I will be in the position that I didn’t tell the truth today to the best of my ability,” responded Mokoena.Earlier in the day, commissioner Sesi Baloyi raised concerns about the Hawks’ operation at Molefe’s home. “I think South Africans should be concerned that the Hawks participate in operations that are not on record. There’s no record and this may not be the only one,” She said. Mokoena claimed that the Hawks were not in the country to conduct operations, but rather for verification. “That takedown [operation] was official and legitimate, as there was a J50 [warrant of arrest]… and I wouldn’t expect it to be disturbed or interfered with until the execution is completed,” he said.Witness A, an investigator, had previously told the commission, in camera, that the arrival of the Hawks and the helicopter at Molefe’s home was intimidating, to the point that he had to call his commanders to ask for protection.In July, Molefe was charged with the November 2022 murders of popular DJ Sumbody, real name Oupa Sefoka, and his bodyguards Sibusiso Mokoena and Sandile Myeza in Woodmead, Joburg.He has also been linked to the murder of DJ Vintos, real name Hector Buthelezi, who died in a hail of bullets outside a nightclub in Orlando East, Soweto, in March 2022.The guns that were used in the killings have been linked to 29 crimes, mostly murders. They’ve also been linked to the attempted murder of businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s ex-lover, actress Tebogo Thobejane.The commission continues.Sowetan
2025-10-30 04:58:11
Top cop could be in trouble over Hawks’ role in raid
