The involvement of former Hawks head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya has become a focal point in the scrutiny surrounding the police operation at the Sandhurst home of Katiso “KT” Molefe. The controversy intensified on Tuesday during proceedings at the Madlanga commission, where testimony offered new insight into why Lebeya intervened in what witnesses described as an unprecedented manner.
Molefe’s high-end Sandhurst property was raided by the murder-case/">Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) on 6 December 2024. The raid formed part of an investigation into the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart, for which Molefe was arrested on the same day. While the operation itself drew public attention, it was the subsequent actions by the Hawks that raised deeper questions.
Members of the PKTT previously testified that their work was disrupted when Hawks officers arrived unexpectedly, demanding information about the nature of the operation. This intervention, according to witnesses, was unusual and placed strain on coordination between units.
During Tuesday’s session, Gauteng Hawks head Major General Ebrahim Kadwa confirmed that he had been instructed directly by Lebeya to verify whether the PKTT raid was legitimate. Advocate Sesi Baloyi, a co-commissioner, pressed Kadwa on whether such an instruction had any precedent.
Kadwa was unequivocal: “Never,” he said, confirming this was the first time Lebeya had asked him to verify an internal police operation. Baloyi further highlighted the abnormality, noting that such directives are highly uncommon within the Hawks’ operational framework.
As testimony unfolded, Fingers point to Lebeya not only for issuing the instruction but also for his absence from the witness stand thus far. Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga queried why the commission had not yet heard from him directly, suggesting that his insights were now critical to resolving conflicting accounts.
With the commission set to resume on Wednesday morning, expectations are high that Lebeya will be called to clarify his role. For now, Fingers point to Lebeya as the key figure whose explanation may shape the commission’s next steps.
