Marcus Moloko
The Madlanga Commission is grappling with a troubling, central question: who is telling the truth about the Hawks’ controversial involvement in the raid and arrest of murder-accused tenderpreneur Katiso “KT” Molefe at his palatial Sandhurst mansion, north of Johannesburg?
Testimonies from Captain Barry Kruger and Brigadier Lesiba Mokoena have revealed some contradictions, which raise suspicions of internal interference and what could be procedural misconduct on the part of the Hawks.
Kruger, a veteran police officer with 32 years of experience and a decorated member of the Hawks’ Tactical Operations and Monitoring Section (TOMS), told the commission of persistent pressure from Mokoena to verify the legitimacy of the arrest at Molefe’s Sandhurst home on December 6, 2024, which saw the Gauteng Traffic Police helicopter hover above.
According to the testimony of Mokoena, a section head in the TOMS under the Hawks, he had no ongoing contact with Kruger during the incident and initially denied involvement in any WhatsApp group communications about the operation.
Kruger contradicted this, saying Mokoena called him repeatedly and even shared intelligence about vehicles at the scene.
Below are some interesting perspectives from the pair.
Mokoena, popularly known as Kleintjie in police circles, denied being repeatedly in contact with Kruger during the operation.
However, Kruger testified that Mokoena called him “often” and demanded updates every 10 minutes.
Mokoena claimed no knowledge of WhatsApp group activity and posted messages on the day in question.
Kruger said he created the group and received intelligence from Mokoena via WhatsApp, which he submitted to the commission.
Mokoena said the Hawks were verifying the legality of the arrest.
Kruger admitted he never asked to see an arrest warrant and didn’t know who the warrant was for, undermining the stated purpose.
Mokoena said the operation was an emergency, explaining why no inquiry number was created. Kruger acknowledged it was his or Mokoena’s responsibility to initiate one, but neither of the officers did.
The inconsistencies suggest one officer is misleading the commission.
While Kruger’s encounter with Captain Maxwell Wanda from the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) was described as filled with tension and hostility, the PKTT was officially disbanded in December 2024.
Could Molefe’s takedown have been one of PKTT’s final operations before dissolution?
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