The murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart was instigated by Katiso “KT” Molefe’s nephew who was trying to protect his job after his employer, Transnet, discovered that he had manipulated a multimillion-rand tender which had gone to a company he is linked to, a witness has said.
According to Witness B, whose identity cannot be disclosed, Lucky Molefe manipulated the tender awarded to SK Group, which procured metal springs from QTech, Swart’s employer, for R3.90 and sold them to Transnet for R151. However, QTech picked up the inflated prices and a whistleblower approached Transnet to report that, said the witness.
Witness B said that inspectors from Transnet and QTech met to inspect the springs and saw amended purchase orders. She said the matter was formally flagged with Transnet and the department of public enterprise, and a formal investigation was launched
When Transnet started its internal investigations, Lucky approached his uncle for assistance to deal with the matter, the witness said.
“Lucky was pressured to give documents [of the tender], and knowing that there was manipulation that would have cost him his job and everything that he worked for, he then reached out to the uncle [Molefe], who then reached out to Tau (Joburg police officer-turned-rogue Michael),” he said.
Swart was then killed in a case of mistaken identity outside QTech offices after being shot 23 times by gunmen who thought he was the whistleblower.
“The actual person that was intended to be killed here is the whistleblower who was creating problems for Lucky. Swart was a mistaken identity ...” said Witness B.
Witness A on Tuesday told the commission that Lucky was still on the run.
Phone records have revealed that five days before Swart was killed, Molefe had shared information about a QTech employee with Tau.
Tau’s car was seen outside QTech from the day Molefe sent him information about the QTech employee.
Lucky was pressured to give documents [of the tender], and knowing that there was manipulation that would have cost him his job and everything that he worked for, he then reached out to the uncle [Molefe], who then reached out to Tau (Joburg police officer-turned-rogue Michael).
— Witness B
Swart was shot on April 17 and Tau was arrested two hours later. Police discovered 15 cartridges inside his car which they later found were picked up from the scene after Swart’s shooting.
Before his arrest, he had sent Molefe a text saying “Abuti, re sharp neh [brother, we are okay]."
It was also revealed at the commission that a few months later, on December 6, when police went to Molefe’s Sandhurt’s house to look for him and Lucky, they found Transnet tender bidding documents as well as documents with fraudulent signatures in one of the rooms.
Witness B also said they were followed and intimidated after they arrested Tau and two others.
As the investigations unfolded, the investigating officers received threats from the suspects’ family and friends, including senior police officials, she said.
When the matter went to court, she said, Sedibeng district commissioner Brig Abbey Nkwashu pleaded with her not to oppose Tau’s bail.
She also said during one of the court appearances for Tau and his co-accused, Tiego Floyd Mabusela and Musa Kekana, she overheard one woman loudly say: “KT [Katiso Molefe] will make this thing disappear.”
“I don’t know if she was bragging,” the witness told the commission.
She alsosaid that on the same day that Molefe was arrested, Nkwashu tried to sneak his way in to visit him.
“He made a request from to the head of prison, he was requesting to be granted permission to see Katiso and he indeed went to prison with a vehicle without registration.
“The head of prison said he found it quite strange,” Witness B said, adding that Nkwashu had gone there with clothes and food he had bought for Molefe. However, the prison only took the clothes but refused to take food.
Lucky, who is wanted for Swart’s murder, is still on the run.
The commission continues.
Sowetan
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