Gauteng provincial Hawks head Maj-Gen Ebrahim Ahmed Kadwa told the Madlanga Commission that Hawks members did not interfere with the South African Police Service (SAPS)’s arrest of alleged drug cartel member Katiso “KT” Molefe.
Kadwa revealed this on Tuesday at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System taking place in Pretoria.
On Tuesday, the commission heard further testimony from Hawks members regarding the police’s takedown operation at the Sandhurst, Sandton, Johannesburg house of Molefe on December 6 2024.
The Hawks members testifying are part of its Serious Organised Crime Investigation (SOCI) unit.
Unaware of Molefe raid and arrest
Kadwa said on December 6 2024, he was on his way to Hawks national excellence awards in Pretoria. He received a call from then Hawks head Lt-Gen Godfrey Lebeya.
“General Lebeya asked me if I am aware of a Hawks operation in Sandhurst. I told him I am not aware of such an operation. General Lebeya told me there are people who are allegedly impersonating Hawks members at a Sandton address and he asked me to verify if that is true.
“General Lebeya sent me the address and told me to verify what is happening there. I called a Colonel from the Johannesburg Hawks office to go and check if there is a Hawks operation there. The Hawks members who arrived at the address were there for about 10 minutes,” said Kadwa.
“The allegations that Hawks members went there [Molefe’s house] to interfere with police work is not true. They went there to verify if indeed there are any Hawks officers there…”
Received tip-off from colleague Lebeya
Kadwa said when Lebeya called him about allegations of people impersonating Hawks officers at Molefe’s house, he did not ask Lebeya where he got that information from.
Kadwa’s testimony was led by one of the commission’s evidence leaders, Adv Lee Segeels-Ncube.
Earlier, the commission heard testimony from Hawks members Captain Dali Christaan Nortjie and Warrant Officer Paul Makhere Radebe.
Both officers are from the Hawks’ SOCI unit.
Radebe told the commission that controversial Gauteng businessman Malcolm X was at the scene when Molefe was arrested on December 6 2024.
Radebe said “the idiot” Malcolm X was at the scene wearing a cap, spectacles and carrying a bag pack. He said Malcolm X was taking videos of the Hawks officers who arrived at Molefe’s house around 5.14pm.
Businessman Malcolm X
Meanwhile, Malcolm X has previously said in the media that he is the one who called Lebeya on December 6 2024, telling him that “there are police officers at Molefe’s house who say they are from the Hawks and are sent by General Lebeya”.
Malcolm X said he called Lebeya to verify if what the police officers were saying was true.
The commission is chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga. It is sitting at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria.
The commission resumes on Wednesday at 9.30am.
Meanwhile, Molefe was arrested on December 6 2024 for the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart.
Swart worked at Q Tech Engineering Company based in Vereeniging. He was shot and killed outside his workplace on April 17 2024. The hitmen mistook him for another employee who is a whistleblower.
Molefe out on bail
Molefe was granted R100, 000 bail in June by the Pretoria High Court. This was after he appealed the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court decision that denied him bail earlier this year.
Molefe was rearrested a month later in July for the murders of musician and club owner Oupa John “DJ Sumbody” Sefoka, and his two bodyguards.
DJ Sumbody, Sibusiso Mokoena and Sandile Myeza were shot and killed by unknown men while travelling in their cars. The incident happened on the midnight of November 20 2022, on the corner of Woodmead and Woodland drives in Sandton.
Molefe was granted R400, 000 bail by the Johannesburg High Court in October. He had appealed the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court decision that denied him bail in August.
Molefe is charged alongside former SAPS police officer Michael Pule Tau (55). Also alleged hitmen Musa Kekana (35) and Tiego Floyd Mabusela (47) for the murders of Swart, DJ Sumbody, Mokoena and Myeza.
