By Johnathan Paoli
The Madlanga Commission on Monday heard testimony from three witnesses whose accounts have cast doubt on earlier evidence about the December arrest of alleged underworld kingpin, murder-accused, and businessman, Katiso ‘KT’ Molefe.
Led by evidence leader Advocate Lee Segeels-Ncube, the morning’s proceedings focused on the alleged interference by Hawks and Gauteng Traffic Police officers at the scene of Molefe’s high-profile arrest in Sandhurst, Johannesburg, on 6 December.
What emerged was an often contradictory picture of confusion, overlapping authority, and questionable command decisions, all of which could undermine the credibility of previous testimony.
First to take the stand was Chief Provincial Inspector George Raftopoulous, a 35-year veteran of the Gauteng Traffic Police, who sought to clarify his department’s involvement in the takedown.
Raftopoulous said he was contacted by Captain Barry Kruger, who reported that bogus cops might be at the Molefe mansion.
“This was not the first time fake traffic cops were committing crimes,” he said, referencing earlier truck hijacking cases.
Raftopoulous said he volunteered to deploy a traffic police helicopter, which arrived within minutes.
He was also added to a WhatsApp group created by Kruger to coordinate responses to the fake cops allegation.
Later that afternoon, he received a message from Kruger confirming that the Molefe operation was legitimate.
“I called Kruger after seeing that message and then posted on another group that the operation was legal,” he told the commission.
Raftopoulous confirmed that he filmed a video of the scene, saying it was intended for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Hawks’ Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS) verification unit, not as an act of interference.
“If those cops were fake, they would have dispersed at the sight of the traffic chopper. They did not. I am very disturbed by accusations that we interfered,” he said.
However, his claim that Kruger personally told him the operation was legitimate contradicts Kruger’s testimony last week, where Kruger insisted he did not know where Raftopoulous got that information.
Raftopoulous was adamant: “I spoke to him on the phone, and he gave me the information. I only communicated with Captain Kruger that day because he requested our assistance.”
Next, Warrant Officer Sabelo Nkosi, attached to the Hawks’ TOMS unit, offered a far more critical account of how his unit became embroiled in the arrest chaos.
Nkosi said he was preparing for a “life-threatening operation” in the North West when Brigadier Lesiba Mokoena ordered him to detour to Molefe’s home to verify reports of fake officers.
“It didn’t make sense. Local police could have verified that operation. By sending us, the team for the North West mission was weakened,” Nkosi said.
He added that Mokoena repeatedly called him and even told him to use blue lights and sirens, an order Nkosi refused, saying it would have meant driving recklessly.
Upon reaching Sandhurst, Nkosi confirmed that several officers already on the scene were from the Hawks’ Special Task Force and that he quickly established that the operation was legitimate by scanning one of the police vehicle licence plates.
Nkosi accused his superiors of acting on misinformation allegedly from a “Mr. Mthethwa”, who claimed to be a relative of KT Molefe and a friend of Hawks Divisional Commissioner, General Patrick Mbotho.
“We were there for something baseless, I told Kruger that Mthethwa was the one who made us run around like fools,” he said.
He also disputed Kruger’s version of events, particularly claims that Kruger did not know the other Hawks officers at the scene.
“He failed to stand on his ground. He didn’t have balls,” Nkosi said bluntly, drawing audible gasps from the gallery.
Next up, Divisional Commissioner: National Priority Offences Operations at DPCI/Hawks Lieutenant General Dumisani Mbotho, admitted that he had ordered the verification mission but insisted it was a limited instruction.
Speaking calmly, he said he was attending the Hawks Excellence Awards when he was contacted by then Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya, who relayed a call alleging that fake Hawks were claiming to act under his name.
“I asked Brigadier Mokoena to send a vehicle close to the area just to scan and see what was happening,” Mbotho said, claiming he did not have the exact address until Lebeya forwarded it to him.
His version appears to align partly with Nkosi’s account; that the verification team was sent on vague instructions with little briefing.
The commission continues.
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