Hawks dismiss 'Big Five' claims

But police officials tell commission about cases of interference

- Nkateko Joseph Mabasa

Giving testimony: Brigadier Lesiba Mokoena of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks. Photo: X: Maggsnaidu

(X: Maggsnaidu)

Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) Brigadier Lesiba Mokoena has denied interference during a political task team takedown operation in the arrest of murder suspects and alleged leaders of the "Big Five" cartel, Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala and Katiso Molefe, on 6 December.

He told the Madlanga commission of inquiry into political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system the day after he was promoted to Hawks brigadier, he received a call from Divisional Commissioner Patrick Mbotho, who asked him to attend to a complaint of police impersonation at a Sandhurst address.

"The address was coming from General Mbotho of which I forwarded it to Captain Kruger," he said.

He denied sending a large group and said he had not commissioned the deployment of the helicopter which circled Molefe's house during the arrest.

Mokoena emphasised sending only two members of his tactical operations management section team to verify whether it was a legitimate police operation.

"I sent two members. According to Captain Wanda's testimony, he said a group of Hawks members, so there's a difference from what my instructions was with my two members only," he said.

On Wednesday, Maxwell Wanda, a former member of the KwaZulu-Natal-based political killings task team, told the commission that a large contingent of Hawks members had arrived during the joint operation with the Gauteng organised crime unit.

"They came in numbers and I didn't expect them to be that big. And when I interacted with them, they were a bit aggressive, demanding answers, posing questions to me," Wanda said.