The Judicial Commission of Inquiry, known as the Madlanga Commission, has uncovered significant evidence suggesting political interference and operational sabotage within South Africa’s law enforcement structures, centring on the controversial arrest of Sandton businessman Katiso ‘KT’ Molefe. Molefe is a key figure facing charges related to the 2022 murder of popular musician DJ Sumbody and other high-profile crimes.

In recent proceedings, Lieutenant General Dumisani Mbotho, the Divisional Commissioner for National Priority Offences Operations at the Hawks (Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation or DPCI), conceded that members of the elite unit interfered with the arrest operation conducted by the SAPS.

The Madlanga Commission, established in July 2025 following serious allegations made public by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, is tasked with investigating criminality, political interference, and the infiltration of law enforcement and intelligence bodies by criminal syndicates.

The Chaos of the December Arrest

The focus of the testimony has been the initial arrest of Molefe on 6 December 2024, at his Sandhurst home. The arrest was carried out by members of the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) and the Special Task Force in connection with the April 2024 murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart, a case linked to a Transnet tender fraud scandal. Molefe was subsequently arrested again in July 2025 in connection with the 2022 assassination of DJ Sumbody (Oupa John Sefoka).

During the December 2024 operation, the unexpected arrival of multiple agencies, including Hawks members, led witnesses to describe the scene as a “circus”. Previous testimony detailed alleged interference from members of the Hawks and the Gauteng Traffic Police.

The Call That Triggered the Response

The sequence of events began when Johannesburg businessman, Malcolm X, confirmed he phoned the then-Hawks boss, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, on the day of Molefe’s arrest. Malcolm X, a self-described “super consultant,” said he was contacted by a client—described as Molefe’s brother or close friend—who feared Molefe was about to be kidnapped or killed by individuals posing as police.

When officers at Molefe’s home claimed they were Hawks sent by Lebeya, Malcolm X phoned the General directly to verify their legitimacy. Malcolm X insisted he was not trying to stop the arrest but merely confirm the officers were legitimate police. Lebeya, who was attending an awards event at the time, confirmed receiving the call from a source (now confirmed as Malcolm X) about individuals claiming to be Hawks. Lebeya denied Malcolm X’s claim that he was not an informant and maintained that dispatching a verification team was standard procedure, not an attempt to halt the arrest. Lebeya also publicly clarified that he was not connected to Mr. Molefe.

Hawks Leadership Links Lebeya to the Address

However, Lieutenant General Dumisani Mbotho told the Commission that it was Lebeya who called him, inquiring about a “bogus Hawks operation,” and provided Molefe’s Sandton address, which Mbotho then forwarded to his teams to verify. Mbotho acknowledged that he only learned a few months after the incident that the house belonged to Molefe.

Mbotho’s team, including Brigadier Lesiba Mokoena and Captain Barry Kruger, was deployed to verify if the people at the house were legitimate SAPS members and if they had been sent by Lebeya.

Mbotho’s Admission of Interference

The crux of the matter arrived when Commissioner Sesi Baloyi SC pressed Mbotho on the actions of his subordinates. After the Hawks members confirmed the operation was legitimate, they continued to demand details like the warrant of arrest (J50), the case number, and the identity of the suspect being arrested.

When asked if pursuing these details, after confirming the legitimacy of the operation, constituted interference, Mbotho admitted: “I am not opposed to that view, because of who they wanted to arrest there, with or without a warrant was not our business,” effectively confirming the actions were “tantamount to interference”.

Further complicating the matter, Captain Kruger contacted the Gauteng Traffic Police Airwing, stating that a “bogus operation” needed to be stopped. This led to a Gauteng Traffic Police helicopter, operated by Chief Inspector George Raftopoulos, hovering low over Molefe’s house for about 10 minutes, alarming the Organised Crime Unit detectives who feared they would be outnumbered. Raftopoulos confirmed he deployed the helicopter after being told by Captain Kruger that a ‘bogus operation’ was taking place.

Unaccounted Operation and Internal Conflict

Brigadier Lesiba Mokoena and Captain Kruger told the Commission that the Hawks’ operation at Molefe’s home was “unaccounted for” in the unit’s records because it was initiated as an emergency. Mokoena insisted he only assigned two officers (Kruger and one constable) to verify the legitimacy of the operation, but six or eight additional Gauteng Hawks members, wearing golf T-shirts, were found at the scene.

The testimony has also revealed internal contradictions, leading the Commission to request that Brigadier Mokoena return to testify. Mokoena denied participating in a WhatsApp group created on 6 December 2024 to verify the operation, while Captain Kruger and other witnesses contradicted this claim.

Molefe, who faces charges including murder and conspiracy to murder, is allegedly connected to at least 10 other high-profile cases. Suspicions of a protection racket have been fuelled by his alleged family ties to suspended Hawks Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, who is reportedly his brother-in-law.

The Madlanga Commission continues to hear evidence as it investigates allegations that criminal syndicates have infiltrated bodies including SAPS, the NPA, and Crime Intelligence, threatening the rule of law in South Africa. The Commission is mandated to submit an interim report within three months and a final report within six months of its establishmen