The Madlanga Commission was this week told of how law enforcement agencies and senior police officers “protected” alleged drug cartel member Katiso “KT” Molefe and interfered with police investigations against him.
This information was revealed by Witnesses A and B this week at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into criminality, political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system.
The proceedings, which are taking place at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria, were held partially in-camera. The commission is chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.
Witness A told the commission that the South African Police Service (SAPS) national head of organised crime Maj-Gen Richard Shibiri called him and Witness B to a meeting, and told them that the suspects they had arrested for the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart are connected to dangerous people.
Brown envelopes
“Shibiri told us there were three envelopes on offer ready for the magistrate, prosecutor and investigating officers in the Swart murder case,” said Witness A.
This witness did not say whether the envelopes were stuffed with money or something else.
He said the Hawks, Gauteng traffic police and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) interfered with the work of the SAPS members when they were arresting Molefe at his Sandhurst, Sandton, Johannesburg house in December last year.
He said on December 6 2024, police conducted an operation to arrest Molefe at his Sandhurst house for the April 2024 murder of Swart.
During the arrest, Witness A said, a Johannes Makgatle, a JMPD officer, approached a police car parked outside Molefe’s house and inquired from the people in the car who they were.
The occupants of the police car told Makgatle they were police after which Makgatle left, Witness A said.
In his testimony, he said Molefe told him during his arrest that he called Makgatle to find out to whom the “unmarked” car parked outside his house belonged.
More police contingencies arrive
Witness A also said while police were inside Molefe’s house conducting his arrest and searching his house, members of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) SAPS political killings task team, who were stationed outside the house, called him and said members of the Hawks were outside the house.
Witness A said he went outside to inquire what was happening and the Hawks members told him they came to Molefe’s house after they received a complaint that bogus police officers were at the address.
He told the Hawks members that police officers were conducting an arrest of Molefe and it was lawful.
During the arrest there was a helicopter hovering in the air above Molefe’s house, Witness A further said.
The helicopter was from the Gauteng traffic police and the officer flying the helicopter said he was requested by a Captain from the Hawks to go to the house and check what was happening because “the Hawks received a complaint about bogus police at Molefe’s house”.
A said a Colonel Mokoena – his superior, called to tell him that suspended deputy national commissioner of police Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya was not happy that police did not detain Molefe at a local police station after arresting him.
Jailhouse visits from the top brass
Witness B said SAPS Acting Sedibeng District Commissioner Brig Mbangwa Nkhwashu visited Molefe while he was in prison on December 9 2024.
“The prison head told me he [Nkhwashu] visited Molefe after visiting hours. He drove into the prison in a vehicle without registration numbers. That was strange. He said he was related to Molefe and went there to give him clothing and food.
“The prison officials took the clothing but Nkhwashu was not allowed to give Molefe the food because it went against prison regulations. The prison officials said Molefe denied being related to Nkhwashu,” said Witness B.
The commission resumes on Monday with the continuation of the testimony of Witness C.
Mistaken identity
Swart, who worked at Q Tech Engineering Company based in Vereeniging, was shot and killed outside his workplace on April 17 2024.
He was killed when the alleged hitmen mistook him for another employee, who is a whistleblower.
Former SAPS detective Michael Pule Tau (55) and alleged hitmen Musa Kekana (35), Tiego Floyd Mabusela (47) were arrested in April last year for Swart’s murder.
Molefe (61) was arrested and charged with the murder of Swart in December last year.
Kekana and Mabusela were denied bail last year, which Tau was granted.
Tau was placed under house arrest in July last year and rearrested in September after violating his bail conditions.
Molefe was granted R100 000 bail in June by the Pretoria High Court.
Molefe had earlier been denied bail by the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court. The Pretoria High Court later granted him bail upon appeal.
Meanwhile, in July, Molefe was rearrested for the murder of club owner and musician Oupa John Sefoka, also known as DJ Sumbody.
He was later granted R400 000 bail by the Johannesburg High Court on October 10 after appealing the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court decision that denied him bail.
