The anonymous witness said frequent interference in the investigation of murder suspect Katiso Molefe showed how far his influence reached in the police service. (Screenshot)
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into policing and political interference heard startling testimony on Tuesday from an anonymous investigator who alleged that senior police officers attempted to stop the arrest of an influential murder suspect using a helicopter belonging to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks).
Witness A, a police investigator in the Gauteng organised crime unit, testified that the arrest of murder suspect and alleged leader of the “Big Five” cartel, Katiso Molefe, at his Sandhurst home was disrupted by high-ranking officials who appeared to be protecting him.
Molefe, who was wanted in connection with multiple crimes and the contract killing of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart, allegedly called another police officer for assistance during the operation, claiming he was “scared” by the police intrusion.
Subsequently, Witness A received a call from “a known person”, who he did not want to identify, with a warning that he was arresting “a person of the generals” — referring to deputy national police commissioner for crime detection Shadrack Sibiya. Moments later, Witness A testified, a team from the Hawks division arrived on the scene in a helicopter.
“It is unheard of that officials from different divisions and units would arrive at a private residence where a takedown of an operation is under way and attempt to interfere,” Witness A told the Madlanga commission.
He said the presence of the Hawks team was a clear attempt to obstruct his unit’s lawful operation.
“If there were real concerns that the operation was illegal, for whatever reason on their side, I would not expect an entire team from [the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation] with a helicopter to descend on us and try to stop the operation,” he said.
Witness A said Molefe was eventually detained at Pretoria Central police station as a “high-risk” and “high-profile” individual, but the interference demonstrated how influential his reach was within the police service.
The witness’s testimony adds another layer to the emerging picture of the crisis in South Africa’s police and intelligence structures, which have been exposed both at the commission chaired by retired judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga and before parliament’s ad hoc committee which is undertaking a parallel probe into police corruption.
Witness A told the Madlanga commission that Sibiya was unhappy with Molefe’s arrest and warned that the team involved could face charges. He also alleged pressure from Gauteng head of organised crime Richard Shibiri, who invited him to a birthday party at Sibiya’s farm — an invitation Witness A turned down.
Witness A said Shibiri had been promoted by Sibiya and understood he had to keep him happy. He added that he suspected Shibiri had been compromised, alleging that Sibiya requested updates about the murder of Swart whose assassination in April 2024 led to Molefe’s arrest.
The Swart case, which Witness A investigated, has become central to infighting in the police service. Tension escalated when 10 members of a task team investigating political killings were deployed from KwaZulu-Natal to assist the Gauteng organised crime unit.
Subsequently, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused Sibiya and suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of political interference and collusion with syndicates. Mkhwanazi claimed that the Gauteng-based “Big Five” cartel influenced the disbandment of the political killings task team.
Sibiya has rejected those claims, calling them part of a succession battle for the position of national police commissioner once incumbent Fannie Masemola’s term ends. Mchunu told the parliament ad hoc committee that his directive to dissolve the unit was administrative and not linked to protecting criminals.
Mchunu has also told the committee that Sibiya’s decision to remove 121 dockets from the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team was not part of his directive when he disbanded the unit in December 2024.
Witness A also told the Madlanga commission that Molefe received information leaks from police officers while in custody and later travelled to the UK using a fake passport while on bail. He said the Hawks incident and these other events indicated Molefe’s influence within law enforcement.