Two high-ranking Hawks officers faced intense, often incredulous, questioning at the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday, as they struggled to explain why a small army from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation descended on the arrest of alleged underworld kingpin Katiso “KT” Molefe.
The testimony, marked by contradictions and what commissioners suggested were evasive answers, centered on a single, burning question: why did the Hawks continue their disruptive presence even after confirming the operation was legitimate?
A Tense Scene and a “Concerning” Presence
The scene was set by Captain Maxwell Wanda, who was part of the elite team arresting Molefe in Sandhurst on December 6, 2024. He described the unexpected arrival of between six and eight Hawks officers, some in official t-shirts and others in civilian clothes.
“The presence of the Hawks was concerning to me because they came in numbers. They came in numbers, commissioner, and I didn’t expect them in that big number; and when I interacted with them, they were a bit aggressive, demanding answers,” Wanda testified.
His account of a low-flying police helicopter circling the property added to the picture of a major, intimidating show of force.
The WhatsApp Group That “Didn’t Exist”
The core of the drama unfolded around a WhatsApp group created by one of the testifying officers, Captain Barry Kruger. This group included several Hawks officers who were all rushing to the scene.
Brigadier Lesiba “Kleintjie” Mokoena, Kruger’s superior, testified that he was unaware of so many officers being present and had only instructed Kruger and one constable to go. He insisted he did not participate in the WhatsApp group, despite evidence leader Lee Segeels-Ncube presenting messages that appeared to come from “Brig Kleintjie.”
Mokoena’s denial was swiftly contradicted by his own subordinate. When asked about it, Captain Kruger stated plainly that Mokoena had participated in the group.
Faced with this direct contradiction, Commission Chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga pointedly asked Kruger, “Are you trying to protect your boss?” Kruger denied this, weakly suggesting Mokoena might have simply “been busy.”
The Unexplained Ten-Minute Gap
The most damning evidence came from the WhatsApp timeline. Commissioner Sandile Khumalo highlighted that at 4:52 PM, a message in the group confirmed the operation was legitimate and even named the commander in charge. Yet, according to Kruger’s own statement, he only arrived at the scene at 5:00 PM.
This created a critical ten-minute window where the Hawks, as a group, knew they were interfering in a sanctioned police action, yet no one called off the operation.
Justice Madlanga directly challenged Mokoena on this, asking if his denial of participating in the WhatsApp group was because he found it “difficult to respond” to why he didn’t stand his team down. Mokoena could only offer a feeble, “No, it’s not like that commissioner.”
Kruger, for his part, offered a muddled explanation, saying he was unsure who would arrive first and didn’t think to tell the others to turn back. He could not explain who had sent the additional officers in Hawks t-shirts or what their purpose was.
The testimony left more questions than answers, painting a picture of a Hawks unit operating with questionable coordination and intent during one of the most sensitive arrests of the year. For the commissioners, the failure to provide a credible reason for not standing down remains the unexplained heart of a deeply suspicious event.
{Source: TimesLive}
