By Marcus Moloko
The credibility of KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Lesetja Senona has come under scrutiny following revelations that he previously shared sensitive police documents with alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
The Madlanga Commission has heard testimony that Senona forwarded an affidavit to Matlala containing sensitive details, including those of police officers.
Senona publicly alleged on Sunday that provincial officers escorted him from his office and confiscated his electronic devices on Saturday, raising concerns about his personal safety.
He has denied knowingly sharing sensitive information with Matlala, insisting that any transmission of documents was not done with improper intent.
The disclosure has cast a shadow over Senona’s conduct this weekend at KwaZulu-Natal provincial police headquarters in Durban, where the “unusual events” relating to his behaviour, according to police, triggered enforcement of standard security protocols at the building.
On Saturday, Senona arrived at headquarters but parked his vehicle outside the building rather than in his reserved senior manager’s bay.
He was seen meeting with a Hawks colonel inside his car for nearly 45 minutes before entering the building with his secretary.
Neither Senona nor the colonel signed the mandatory weekend access register, a breach of protocol that immediately raised red flags, according to police.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said that on weekends and after normal working hours, everybody who enters the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Headquarters building, regardless of rank, must sign a register.
“Major General Senona breached that security protocol by going through to his office without signing the register. His secretary signed, but only for herself. The Colonel also failed to sign,” he said.
Security officers, acting on instructions from Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, confronted Senona in his office. He allegedly attempted to leave with a state computer and documents, but was ordered to leave all state property behind. He eventually surrendered his office keys, police said.
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Provincial police said the incident was compounded by Senona’s prior admission at the commission that he had sent the aforementioned police documents, including affidavits and personal details of officers, to Matlala.
“What more can he do if he’s using computers? We don’t know what was in those gadgets that he wanted to take with [him}, and [the] documents he wanted to take with him. Our job is to prevent crime from happening. If you have information that this could happen, why not stop it?” Netshiunda asked while being interviewed by SABC.
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Senona is among 14 individuals named for referral for further investigation in the commission’s interim report. His association with Matlala, coupled with his breach of security protocols, has tainted his standing within the police service and heightened fears of further leaks of sensitive information.
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