Former Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya told the Madlanga commission on Tuesday that he could not recall whether former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Lesetja Senona had told him where a 541kg consignment of seized cocaine was being stored.
Lebeya was questioned under cross-examination about whether he was aware that the Hawks’ Port Shepstone facility had experienced break-ins, including one in which 541kg of confiscated cocaine was stolen in 2021.
Lebeya told the commission that he became aware of the cocaine consignment only after it had been placed in storage. However, Senona previously testified that he had informed his supervisor, Lebeya, that the drugs were being stored at the Port Shepstone facility.
“Safes such as this are difficult to break into and are ideal for the storage of this type of seizure if we have this kind of challenge. I then told [Lebeya] the Port Shepstone offices had previously safely stored a large quantity of 10 mandrax and hashish compressed baggage,” Senona testified.
Lebeya said he could not accuse Senona of lying but could not recall being told where the drugs had been stored.
“I can’t say that he is lying. I can’t recall him informing me as to where he had stored the drugs. That is the view I have, that he did not inform me,” Lebeya said.
He said the storage of seized drugs was not his responsibility as the national head of the Hawks and that other drug consignments had previously been stored at the facility.
“It is possible that he may have informed me. It is the responsibility of the operational units to store the exhibits where they are supposed to be stored,” he said.
On the stolen cocaine, Lebeya acknowledged that Hawks offices had been experiencing serious security challenges.
“The fact that they were stored in a walk-in safe, one would believe that they are safe,” he said.
After he was informed about the theft, Lebeya said he authorised two investigations involving the provincial Hawks commissioner and the head of the serious organised crime component.
“That is my involvement, assigning the responsible officials to look at the theft that had occurred,” he said.
He denied knowing that Senona was in possession of the keys to the safe room. “I can't recollect as to whether he indicated whether he had the key or not,” Lebeya said.
He said he learnt more about the circumstances surrounding the burglary from a factual report compiled by deputy Hawks head Tebello Mosikidi.
“The briefing that he gave me was sufficient to know that the burglary had taken place by known suspects,” he said.
The report noted that other safes containing firearms had been left untouched, suggesting that the robbers were specifically targeting the drug consignment.
Evidence leader Lee Segeels-Ncube questioned why Lebeya had tasked Senona with investigating the theft when Senona was the person who allegedly had possession of the key.
She also questioned whether Lebeya found it unusual that Senona had requested polygraph tests for staff members but had not included himself.
Lebeya defended the decision, saying Senona was the supervisor responsible for managing the staff involved and was not a suspect.
“Because he is the supervisor and he has to do human resource processes. And if a disciplinary process must be done, he must be the one to do it on the personnel under his supervision,” he said.
During his first appearance before the commission, Lebeya denied involvement in alleged police interference relating to a high-profile December 2024 raid at the Sandton home of suspected cartel leader Katiso “KT” Molefe.
Previous witnesses have raised concerns about Hawks officers questioning the validity of a South African Police Service arrest warrant during the operation, which critics have described as an attempt to obstruct the raid.
Lebeya attributed the operational clash to leadership failures, poor oversight and a lack of coordination involving Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo. He said he had not been informed about the operation.
He testified that he did not know Molefe personally. He said he dispatched senior managers to the scene after receiving an unsolicited tip-off from a well-known public figure, referred to as “Malcolm X”, who alleged that criminals posing as Hawks officers were at the property.