A Gauteng Traffic Police official denied any wrongdoing.
A new witness has expressed deep concern over allegations that his team intentionally attempted to obstruct the arrest of alleged cartel figure and businessman Katiso “KT” Molefe.
Gauteng Traffic Police (GTP) chief provincial inspector George Raftopoulos took the stand before the Madlanga commission on Monday at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria.
The commission is investigating accusations of political interference, corruption and criminal conduct within the justice system.
New witness testifies at Madlanga commission
During his testimony, Raftopoulos detailed the events surrounding Molefe’s arrest on 6 December 2024 at his residence in Sandhurst, Johannesburg, related to the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart.
According to earlier testimony, when the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) moved in to arrest Molefe, members of the Hawks’ Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS) – including Captain Barry Kruger – unexpectedly arrived, claiming they had received reports of fake police officers operating in the area.
A Johannesburg metropolitan police department (JMPD) officer, Johannes “Johnny” Mokgatle, was also said to be present at the scene.
Multiple witnesses previously told the commission that a GTP helicopter was hovering above Molefe’s home during the operation.
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They interpreted the aircraft’s presence, along with the arrival of other units, as an attempt to interfere with the arrest, particularly since Molefe, who is allegedly linked to a criminal network known as the Big Five, was said to have law enforcement “fixers” on his payroll.
Raftopoulos said that he received a call from Kruger seeking assistance with reports of impersonators posing as Hawks officers.
Since his team lacked ground personnel at that moment, he authorised the use of the helicopter.
“We previously had attempts of bogus cops that were hijacking vehicles, that’s why I said I will go out and have a look.”
He said that deploying a helicopter in such situations was routine and that individuals impersonating police officers typically fled once the aircraft appeared.
Raftopoulos also said that Kruger had added him to a WhatsApp group created to coordinate responses to fake police incidents and that Molefe’s address was shared there.
Helicopter journey to Katiso ‘KT’ Molefe’s house
The helicopter departed from Midrand and four minutes later Kruger messaged him at 4.44pm, confirming that the operation at the address was legitimate.
The helicopter reached Sandhurst around 4.47pm.
“At that time, we were flying to the address that was given by Captain Kruger so I can’t confirm that I saw it [the message] at 4.44pm because I was navigating to where the address was.”
Raftopoulos said he observed nothing unusual on arrival and maintained that genuine imposters would have fled the scene if confronted.
He further explained that he recorded video footage of Molefe’s property to comply with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reporting requirements, as the flight took place over a residential area.
“I took a video for TOMS as well as the CAA if there were any noise complaints laid by the community.”
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He confirmed that the helicopter departed at 4.53pm.
Addressing claims that his team had meddled in the police operation, Raftopoulos denied any wrongdoing.
“I heard the testimonies, in the newspapers and social media, that we tried to interfere in a legitimate operation at Katiso Molefe’s residence.
“I am very disturbed by these comments, they are untrue as I had no idea who Mr Molefe was or where he lived.
“I was merely assisting teams that I usually worked with in the past. My understanding that there were bogus cops at the premises,” Raftopoulos said.
