The task team worked closely with the Gauteng Counter-Intelligence Operation unit.
Dumisani Khumalo, Crime Intelligence divisional commissioner, told the Madlanga commission that the investigative methods used by the political killings task team (PKTT) should serve as a model for the rest of the country.
After a month-long absence caused by illness, Khumalo appeared again before the commission in Pretoria on Tuesday to continue his testimony.
ALSO READ: Katiso ‘KT’ Molefe’s ‘Big Five’ cartel ties and protection of fugitive nephew under scrutiny
The senior police official, during his earlier testimony, disclosed details about a Gauteng-based criminal organisation known as the “Big Five“.
Business figures Katiso “KT” Molefe and Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala are reportedly involved in the cartel.
Molefe, who is out on bail, and Matlala are both facing several charges, including murder and attempted murder.
Armand Swart murder
Khumalo, on Tuesday, spoke about the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart, explaining how the killing exposed criminal networks.
It was previously heard that Swart was assassinated outside the offices of his employer, Q Tech, in April 2024.
This followed the company’s uncovering of irregularities related to a Transnet tender.
READ MORE: Armand Swart murder: investigator details how they allegedly linked Katiso Molefe to case
The murder, however, was a case of mistaken identity, as Swart was not the whistleblower the hitmen had been hired to target.
Despite this, his death led to the arrests of police detective Michael Pule Tau and two alleged hitmen, Musa Kekana and Tiego Floyd Mabusela, within hours of the shooting.
Molefe, identified as the mastermind, was arrested months later on 6 December 2024.
Investigations into organised crime
Continuing his testimony, Khumalo stated that Swart’s murder led to the establishment of the Gauteng Counter-Intelligence Operation (GCI-Ops) unit, which worked closely with the PKTT to investigate organised crime.
He explained that the PKTT recruited various experts — including data analysts, ballistics specialists, and crime scene investigators — to address weaknesses within GCI Ops.
“When the GCI Ops was born, one of the shortcomings that we identified was the approach itself.
“The investigation was following what I refer to as the traditional way of investigating, which is not suitable to investigate organised crime,” Khumalo said.
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He added that by the time the PKTT, which he oversaw, was brought in, some cartel members had already been identified.
Khumalo explained that tackling organised crime required investigations that were analysis-driven and prosecutorial-led.
“The common denominator is for the cartel members to specialise in having companies that are dealing in private security in order to collect as [many] firearms as possible, so for that we needed an expert in the firearm area.”
He told the commission that an investigative officer was needed to assist the two GCI Ops investigators in managing the growing case load, which was increasing “almost every day.”
PKTT model
The Crime Intelligence boss said the PKTT’s approach differed from standard Saps procedures, with the task team achieving faster turnaround times in investigations.
“In the PKTT, we prioritise accountability at all levels. You have to account for whatever you are doing which is normally lacking at unit or station level,” Khumalo said.
According to Khumalo, members of the task team can’t just go out and operate based on how they feel.
Retired judge and commission chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga asked why the PKTT’s investigative model could not be rolled out nationally, as the task team was initially intended to operate only in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Khumalo responded that this recommendation had been made to the “powers that be” and attempts have been made to implement it.
“We believe this model of PKTT can be used as a transition from the normal or traditional way of investigating to this one that is suitable for the problems that we are facing as a country at this moment.”
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