Hawks warrant officer testified he saw other members making phone calls and taking selfies.
A Hawks officer recounted his frustration and confusion over being dispatched to the home of businessman and murder-accused Katiso “KT” Molefe during his arrest, questioning the priorities and decisions of his superiors.
Warrant officer Sabelo Nkosi, attached to the Hawks’ tactical operations management section (TOMS), appeared on Monday before the Madlanga Commission as the day’s second witness.
The commission, which is holding public hearings in Pretoria, has heard several testimonies related to Molefe’s arrest at his Sandhurst mansion on 6 December 2024.
This was in connection with the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart.
Madlanga commission hears of sudden deployment to KT Molefe’s house
Nkosi told the commission that on the day of Molefe’s arrest, he had been at his home in Springs preparing for an operation in the North West province when he received a call from TOMS section head Brigadier Lesiba Mokoena around 4pm.
A briefing for that operation had been scheduled for 7pm.
According to the witness, Mokoena instructed him to abandon preparations for the North West mission and “rush” to Molefe’s mansion to verify reports of “bogus” Hawks officers at the scene.
Nkosi testified that he found Mokoena’s request unusual, as “a reasonable person” would have seen the North West operation as the greater priority.
He described that operation as “life-threatening”, explaining that diverting members to Molefe’s house weakened the team’s strength.
“So that’s why it didn’t make sense to me,” he said.
Nkosi added that Mokoena was well aware of the North West operation and could have deployed local police to handle the Sandhurst matter instead.
Frustration builds on the road
Nkosi indicated that his home was roughly 60 to 70 kilometres from Molefe’s residence after checking the GPS.
He saw there was heavy traffic on his route.
While driving, Kruger called to say they would meet at the scene, and Nkosi was added to a WhatsApp group created for the operation.
He said Mokoena called him every 10 to 15 minutes during the trip, which irritated him.
“When you receive a call now you have to stop the navigation, meaning you also have to stop the car,”
Nkosi said, explaining that he paused each time to avoid missing a turn because the GPS would freeze.
When Nkosi mentioned the traffic congestion, Mokoena told him to “push” and use his sirens and blue lights to move through faster.
The warrant officer, however, ignored the instruction and instead shared his live location in the WhatsApp group “to avoid these constant calls”.
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A message soon followed from Gauteng Traffic Police (GTP) chief provincial inspector George Raftopoulos, confirming that the operation at Molefe’s mansion was legitimate.
Another message from Captain Percy Sinjane asked whether members should withdraw.
Nkosi testified that message caught his attention, prompting him to stop on the side of the road while waiting for directions from Mokoena or Kruger.
When Kruger replied that he was still on his way, Nkosi took that as an instruction to proceed to Sandhurst.
He told the commission that he had expected a proper briefing before arrival to avoid walking blindly into danger and getting “moered” by bullets.
By the time they reached the scene, Nkosi said, he believed any suspects would already have fled.
Arrival at KT Molefe’s house
Nkosi said he arrived at Molefe’s mansion around 5.15pm, shortly after Kruger.
The area was filled with vehicles, so he parked further away, concealed his pistol on his body and walked toward the gate.
“That was for safety precaution because I couldn’t see Captain Kruger.”
Using an app on his state-issued phone, Nkosi scanned one of the cars at the scene and confirmed it was a legitimate police vehicle from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
This assured him the operation was real.
READ MORE: Presence of ‘aggressive’ Hawks members at Katiso Molefe’s house ‘concerning’
He then found Kruger with the other colleague and asked why they were still there if the operation’s legitimacy had been confirmed.
Kruger replied that he needed to speak to the leaders of the operation, as per Mokoena’s instructions — a response that frustrated Nkosi.
“What more needed to be verified?”
Nkosi remained at the scene because he was due to travel with Kruger and the other officer to the North West afterward.
He recalled seeing Kruger meet with one of the officers involved in the operation.
“They met on the middle of the road, because someone from the gate, he pointed that gentleman to Kruger and then at that stage, Captain Kruger has already shifted his car and parked it on the pavement on the other side of the road.
“And then they met there. I remember they shook hands and then they walked toward Captain Kruger’s bonnet.”
Nkosi said he did not know what the two men discussed, so he went to move his car.
An unexpected encounter
Nkosi told the commission that he was later approached by a man who introduced himself as Mr Mthethwa, claiming to be Molefe’s relative.
Mthethwa asked whether Nkosi was from the Hawks and if the initial officers involved in the arrest had a warrant.
After Nkosi confirmed they did, Mthethwa revealed that he was the one who had called Hawks divisional commissioner Dumisani Patrick Mbotho.
When Nkosi asked about his relationship with Mbotho, Mthethwa responded that they were old friends.
Nkosi said he photographed Mthethwa because it had become clear to him that “we were there to serve the interests of this gentleman, not the interest of the police”.
Using his verification app again, Nkosi confirmed that a Mercedes-Benz linked to the man bore the same surname.
“It came out with the very same surname.”
READ MORE: Madlanga commission hears how Katiso ‘KT’ Molefe is ‘a general’s person’
He then told Kruger that Mthethwa was the person that “made us run around like fools”.
Nkosi explained that he discreetly sent Kruger the photo so Mthethwa wouldn’t notice.
“I didn’t want this guy to see that we are speaking about him. We were gossiping actually.”
Nkosi said he also informed Kruger that Mthethwa referred to Mbotho by his first name.
“To me, that was confirming to him that we are here for something that is baseless.”
The officers later shared information about Mthethwa in the WhatsApp group and then withdrew to proceed to the North West.
Questions over conduct
Nkosi testified that while at Molefe’s home, he saw Kruger and other Hawks members making phone calls as well as taking selfies, which he found strange.
“I was seeing this thing at a distance.”
He said Kruger’s contact with police on the scene should have led to an inquiry docket being opened because it went beyond verifying alleged bogus officers – but no such investigation followed.
Nkosi further disputed Kruger’s earlier claim to the commission that he did not know the other Hawks officers present.
“These people are from the [head] office. They know one another very well. I couldn’t understand why he was saying that.”
He expressed irritation that they stayed at the scene longer than necessary and contended that Mokoena should have driven there himself if he wanted direct contact with the officers.
The warrant officer further criticised Kruger for not standing up to Mokoena.
“He didn’t have the balls,” Nkosi said.
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