Mapaballo Borotho
- Senona wrapped up his testimony at the Madlanga Commission, denying that he knowingly shared confidential police information with Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
- He admitted sending an affidavit containing officers’ details but blamed oversight, while also addressing the theft of cocaine worth over R200 million in 2021.
- Senona is among officials referred for investigation, with the commission set to hear a new witness tomorrow.
KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Lesetja Senona concluded his testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Thursday by refusing to admit that he knowingly shared confidential information with alleged criminal Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
Senona has been on the hot seat for the past three days, where he was grilled about an affidavit that he reportedly passed on to Matlala, containing ID numbers, contact details, names and addresses of police officers who had complaints against them.
Senona admitted to sending the document to Matlala but maintained that it was due to a lack of oversight.
The top official spent three days on the stand defending his relationship with the man currently on trial for the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane.
On the first day of his testimony, Senona admitted to knowing Matlala, saying they met at a wedding and that Matlala shares the same surname as his wife.
Furthermore, Matlala previously described Senona as his older brother before the Ad Hoc Committee last year.
Matlala’s name has been mentioned multiple times at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, with suspended EMPD head Julius Mkhwanazi admitting to receiving R80 000 from him.
On Thursday, Senona said he did not violate police conduct when he sent the affidavit to Vusimuzi Matlala. He initially denied that the document contained personal details, before conceding that he did not read its full contents.
Stolen drugs in KZN
Senona told commissioners that he believes someone in law enforcement leaked information to criminals about drugs being stored in Port Shepstone. He said there was no way anyone would ordinarily have known that drugs were kept at the storage facility.
He was questioned about his decision to authorise drugs worth over R200 million to be stored there. The cocaine was stolen in 2021 and, to date, no one has been arrested.
Senona said had he known about prior break-ins at the Port Shepstone facility, he would not have allowed drugs worth over R200 million to be stored there.
He acknowledged that after the cocaine disappeared from one of their offices in 2021, he became aware of earlier break-ins.
He told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that he could not store the drugs at Isipingo police station, where they were found, due to lack of space. He added that challenges in nearby areas forced him to send them to Port Shepstone.
Senona is one of the law enforcement officials referred for investigation in the first interim report of the Madlanga Commission.
The commission is expected to hear from a new witness on Friday.
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