The Hawks members reportedly went to Molefe's house to confirm the legitimacy of the operation after receiving a call about people impersonating police officers.
Captain Maxwell Wanda has told the Madlanga Commission details of the takedown of Katiso “KT” Molefe, where the presence of Hawks members is in question.
Wanda is a former member of the political killings task team (PKTT) and was part of the operation at Molefe’s house as a crime scene investigator.
Molefe is accused of ordering the hit on Armand Swart.
The takedown at Molefe’s house took place on 6 December 2024 and Wanda said he was not aware of the suspect’s identity until the team arrived at the house.
Molefe arrest
Wanda said when they arrived at Molefe’s house in Sandhurst, they found him in his dining room.
“When we arrived, there was a person [Lehasa Moloi – Molefe’s bodyguard] sitting next to the tennis court along the driveway and handcuffed. Next to him were two firearms – a rifle and a pistol.
” A few metres from him, on the other side of the driveway, next to the gymnasium, there was another pistol on the ground,” Wanda said.
“Witness A took us through the crime scene and took us to a white BMW. In it there was a rifle bag on the back seat and three or four rifle magazines loaded with ammunition. We saw a fleet of cars, some under the carport, some in the open garage.
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“Inside the house, there was a well-set-up office and we saw documents. Among those documents, there were three other A4 paper pages full of specimen signatures.”
Some documents were taken by Witness A, while the A4 pages and the ballistics exhibits – two pistols and one rifle with magazines and bullets – were taken by Wanda’s colleague.
Enters the Hawks
While Wanda and his colleagues were processing the crime scene, a combat member of the PKTT requested that he proceed to the gate where the Hawks members were.
“On my arrival at the gate, I saw a group of people who were members of the Hawks. I identified them by their golf T-shirts, which had the Hawks emblem and their three or four vehicles with the Hawks emblem. They were next to the main gate on the outside. The gate was closed,” said Wanda.
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However, he did not expect the Hawks members to be part of that operation and found their presence problematic. The Hawks members were not particularly friendly either, he said.
“The presence of the Hawks was concerning to me because they came in numbers and I didn’t expect them in such large numbers.”
‘Aggressive’ Hawks
He said he was able to identify between six and eight Hawks members.
“Those who were in civilian clothing, I couldn’t identify them as Hawks members,” he said.
“When I interacted with them, they were a bit aggressive, demanding answers and asking me questions until I managed to speak directly with Captain [Barry] Kruger. But this did not sit well with me because why such a big number and in that attitude?
“If they had been a few and asked questions in a friendly manner, maybe it would have settled well with me to give that explanation. But the way it happened, the situation was not friendly.”
He said there was no reason to believe their operation was illegal as they had a J50 [warrant of arrest] which had been signed by a magistrate.
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“Everything was official; I wouldn’t expect it to be disturbed or to be interfered with until the execution is completed. To me, it was like some interference because it was an important take-down operation based on the seriousness of the case.
“Members of the combat unit were wearing bulletproof vests clearly marked Saps, so that should have been an indication that these may be possible police officers.”
‘Sensitive’ operation at Molefe’s house
Mokoena said he was concerned by the Hawks’ presence without prior notice as the operation was “highly sensitive and dangerous”.
“It is important for the team to know upfront who will be involved in the operation to avoid compromising the operation. When unexpected people arrive, as in the case of the Hawks’ security agents in large numbers, it shows a disturbance,” said Wanda.
“Anything could have happened. It could have gone out of proportion that some unfriendly engagement might result in having that confrontation, because on one side, you have police officers who are armed, and on the other side, you have other state agents who might be armed as well, so in between, there is no understanding.
“Anything could have gone out of proportion.”
Among the Hawks members was Captain Kruger, who asked questions about the operation.
Witness A explained the operation to Kruger and showed him the J50.
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“Witness A did not divulge more information to them due to its sensitive nature. I informed him that our project manager is General [Dumisani] Khumalo. This sat well with him and the other members, as they began to calm down as soon as I mentioned General Khumalo’s name.”
He said the Hawks members informed him they arrived at Molefe’s house after receiving a call about people impersonating police officers.
The Hawks members apparently said they had been misinformed about the operation.
