WATCH | Hawks ‘wanted to check on police at Molefe’s house’

Lt-Gen Patrick Mbotho, the Hawks national divisional commissioner, says when he sent officials to the home of multiple murder accused Katiso “KT” Molefe, it was to check on the legitimacy of the police there and not to ask them details about the case.

Mbotho told the Madlanga commission in Pretoria that he had sent the officials to the house on December 6 last year after his boss at the time, Lt-Gen Godfrey Lebeya, told him there were people impersonating him at Molefe’s home.

Mbotho said he then called Brig Lesiba Mokoena to go to Molefe’s house to verify if the people there were real police officers.

“What I expected was that we [Hawks officials] send the first vehicle, the closest vehicle, to scan the area before the team could arrive. The purpose [of going to Molefe’s home] was to find out [if these] are legitimate police and [if] anyone spoke about Lebeya,” he said.

Allegations have been made that the Hawks interfered with a Gauteng police counterintelligence operations team when they were arresting Molefe for the murder of Vaal engineer Armand Swart.

Swart, killed in an apparent case of mistaken identity, worked for a Vereeniging company that had reported irregularities in a Transnet tender to the authorities.

Witness A, a police investigator who was part of the team arresting Molefe, said the Hawks wanted to know the details of the case and who was being arrested for what.

Asked by commissioner Sesi Baloyi SC if that could amount to interference, he agreed.

What I expected was that we [Hawks officials] send the first vehicle, the closest vehicle, to scan the area before the team could arrive.

—  Lt-Gen Patrick Mbotho

Mbotho admitted that the Hawks operation should have been recorded.

“The standard practice is that there [should] be an inquiry. My expectation on this one is that there would not have been an inquiry on that day, but when they come on the next working day, they would have registered an inquiry so that they know where to find this operation. It also serves the purpose of justifying the driving [work vehicles, why and to where],” he said.

Baloyi expressed concern last week that the Hawks engaged in an operation that was not recorded.

Earlier, the chief inspector of the Gauteng traffic police’s air wing, George Raftopoulos, who flew a helicopter just above Molefe’s property on the day the police were arresting him, denied allegations that he interfered with a police operation.

“I have heard in testimony, newspapers and social media that we tried to interfere [with] a legitimate police operation. I am very disturbed by these comments, and they are untrue, as I had no idea who Mr Molefe is and where he stays; I was merely assisting [the Hawks] team, and my understanding was that there were bogus police at the premises,” he said.

Witness A said the hovering helicopter made him call his commander for protection.

Hawks officer WO Sabelo Nkosi said the request to go to Molefe’s home was strange and that he was pulled from a “life-threatening operation” in the North West and was told to go to Molefe to “verify [the cops who were there]”.

“Firstly, for the reason [to go and verify] of why I have to go there [Molefe’s home], compared to this life-threatening operation that we are going to, a reasonable person would have thought the priority is this life-threatening operation because by removing me and others [from the operation], that thing [the operation] becomes weak,” Nkosi said.

He said he was annoyed by the regular calls from Mokoena while he was on his way to Molefe’s house, asking him how far he was.

The commission continues.

Sowetan