By Johnathan Paoli
The Madlanga Commission on Wednesday heard explosive testimony detailing alleged interference by the elite Hawks police unit during the arrest of murder-accused businessman Katiso “KT” Molefe.
Two witnesses – Captain Maxwell Wanda, a former member of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), and Brigadier Lesiba Mokoena of the Hawks – described how the 6 December 2024 operation to arrest Molefe at his Sandhurst home descended into chaos, with armed units clashing over control of the scene.
Wanda, a forensic and crime scene specialist with 32 years of experience under his belt, told the commission that what began as a coordinated arrest “spiralled into confusion” when uninvited Hawks officers arrived, nearly triggering a violent confrontation.
“The presence of the Hawks was concerning to me because they came in numbers and I didn’t expect them. Anything could have happened; it could have gone out of proportion,” Wanda told the commission.
Wanda, who formed part of the PKTT operation targeting Molefe for allegedly ordering the 2024 assassination of engineer Armand Swart, said that his team was operating with a magistrate-signed arrest warrant, and had surrounded Molefe’s property at dawn.
Inside the businessman’s luxury home, they seized two pistols, a rifle, and a white BMW containing a rifle bag with several loaded magazines.
However, as officers were processing the scene, Wanda said he was called to the gate where multiple Hawks members, led by Captain Barry Kruger, confronted them, demanding to see the arrest warrant and questioning the team’s legitimacy.
“They were a bit aggressive. We were wearing SAPS bulletproof vests, but they still treated us as if we were fake police,” he said.
The standoff only eased, Wanda said, after he received a video call from Brigadier Lesiba Mokoena, a senior Hawks officer attending the unit’s Excellence Awards ceremony that day.
On the call, Mokoena apologised for the confusion, saying the Hawks had been “misinformed” that bogus police were operating at Molefe’s house.
Shortly afterwards, the Hawks officers quietly withdrew from the scene.
Following Wanda’s testimony, Brigadier Mokoena appeared before the commission to explain how his unit became involved in the December 2024 debacle.
Mokoena confirmed that he was at the Hawks’ Excellence Awards when he received a call from divisional commissioner General Patrick Mbotho, relaying that Hawks head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya had been informed of alleged “fake Hawks” conducting an operation in Sandhurst.
Mokoena said he immediately instructed Kruger and another officer to verify the situation.
However, the verification mission escalated far beyond his intent, with multiple Hawks vehicles converging on Molefe’s property.
“I dispatched two members to go and verify what is happening. They were not meant to take part in the operation,” Mokoena said.
Evidence leader, Advocate Lee Segeels-Ncube confronted Mokoena with WhatsApp messages from a Hawks group chat created during the incident.
The messages, which included real-time updates and photos of vehicles at Molefe’s home, showed that by 16:44, the operation had been confirmed as a lawful SAPS take-down led by Crime Intelligence head, Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo.
Despite this, Hawks members remained on the scene for another hour before withdrawing.
Commissioner Sandile Khumalo questioned why the Hawks did not leave immediately after learning the operation was legitimate.
Mokoena initially claimed he had not participated in the WhatsApp group but later conceded, under pressure from Chief Justice Madlanga, that he had indeed sent messages, including one about a “black X5” observed at the scene.
He further admitted that there was no formal record of the Hawks’ verification mission, calling it an emergency operation.
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi expressed alarm that the Hawks could deploy members without documentation.
“That would be deeply concerning to any South African,” she said.
When pressed about inconsistencies in his account, Mokoena reluctantly admitted that he did not tell the truth to the best of his ability.
Captain Kruger will also testify on Wednesday.
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