Hawks accused of disrupting arrest of alleged murderer Katiso Molefe
Mapaballo Borotho
- A Hawks officer testified that his team was redeployed to Sandton during an operation targeting alleged cartel boss Katiso “KT” Molefe.
- He claimed the instruction from his superior, Brigadier Lesiba Mokoena, was unnecessary and aimed at interfering with the arrest.
- The Madlanga Commission is probing allegations of political interreference in the criminal justice system.
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has heard a testimony alleging that senior Hawks officials attempted to disrupt the arrest of alleged cartel member Katiso “KT” Molefe.
Warrant Officer Sabelo Nkosi, from the Hawks’ Tactical Operations Management Section, testified on Monday that he and his colleagues were abruptly redeployed from an assignment in the North West to Molefe’s Sandton residence on 6 December 2024.
Nkosi said Brigadier Lesiba Mokoena, who heads his unit, instructed the team to verify claims that individuals at Molefe’s house were posing as police officers. However, the operation was, in fact, being conducted by the Gauteng Counter Intelligence Group under the command of General Dumisani Khumalo.
According to Nkosi, the instruction from Mokoena appeared unnecessary, as local Sandton police could easily have verified the operation. He criticised his commander for insisting that the Hawks team remain at the scene for an extended period.
“To me, that area where the address is, we do have a local police station, and if it was such an urgency, it was 60 kilometres away from me. I don’t think there is an area or suburb where a police station is more than 20 kilometers away,” Nkosi testified.
It is alleged that the Hawks’ presence at Molefe’s residence was intended to frustrate the Counterintelligence operation, which ultimately targeted Molefe for arrest.
Molefe stands accused of various crimes, including the murder of Oupa ‘DJ Sumbody’ Sefoka and Vereeniging Engineer Armand Swart.
He’s currently out on a R400 000 bail, which the National Prosecuting Authority has criticised.
The Commission continues to hear evidence into allegations of interference and misconduct within law enforcement structures.
READ NEXT: Gauteng police probe murder after man found dead in Menlyn