How Hawks 'tried' in vain to halt arrest of murder accused 'KT' Molefe

NATIONAL head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) Godfrey Lebeya allegedly sent a team of officers to the home of controversial businessman and murder-accused Katiso ‘KT’ Molefe to establish whether the operation leading to his arrest was legal. 

A helicopter belonging to the Gauteng Traffic Police, transporting DPCI members also known as Hawks, hovered over Molefe’s home for about 10 minutes during his arrest, not to help detectives working on the case, but to stop ‘a bogus operation’.

At that time, the first team of Hawks members was already at Molefe’s gate, where the arrest was being effected by teams from the Organised Crime and Tactical Response units, monitored by the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).

Testifying at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, Witness A, a detective with the Organised Crime Unit of the SAPS in Gauteng,  said one Captain Kruger, who spoke for the team, said they had been sent by the national head of the Hawks. At that time, the now-retired Lebeya was at the helm of the unit. 

Molefe’s arrest was in relation to the murder case of Armand Swart, a Vereeniging engineer who was gunned down in April 2024, after the hitmen allegedly mistook him for his boss. The company Swart worked for had uncovered a 4 650% overpricing on small engineering parts at Transnet.

Witness A told the commission that while they were effecting an arrest and conducting the search and seizure at Molefe’s house, they were asked to come to the gate and attend to the Hawks members who wanted to know what was happening at Molefe’s house, and if the operation was legal.

“I told them (Hawks team) this was a legit operation taking place at Katiso’s house, and we were executing the J50 (arrest). They asked where we were coming from. We told them we come from Organised Crime, and we are effecting an arrest. They wanted to know the case number and the nature of the operation,” Witness A said. 

He stated that it was unusual to have Hawks members wanting to be briefed about a case being handled by another unit.

Witness A said that after a few minutes, a helicopter came.

“There was a presence of a helicopter hovering so low over Molefe’s house, and making turns for about 10 minutes. It was a metro police helicopter (Gauteng Traffic Police). It was operated by George Raftopoulos (Chief Inspector of the Gauteng Traffic Police Airwing). Raftopoulos told us that he was requested by a certain Captain (Kruger) from DPCI, who said there was a bogus operation happening, and they needed to stop it.” 

He stated that they had to immediately inform the commanders about the hovering helicopter at Molefe’s house. Their main concern, he said, was that they could be outnumbered and not be able to take Molefe with them, where he would be incarcerated, because the other people were airborne. 

The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which is investigating allegations of collusion and corruption between politicians, senior police, prosecutors, intelligence operatives, and elements of the judiciary, levelled by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Witness A is expected to continue with his testimony on Wednesday.

Cape Times