Retired Hawks head Dr Godfrey Lebeya has denied knowing murder accused Katiso “KT” Molefe or instructing members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) to interfere with a police intelligence operation at Molefe’s home.
Lebeya is appearing before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which is investigating allegations of criminality and the infiltration of South Africa’s criminal justice system.
Molefe was arrested by members of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) on 6 December 2024 in connection with the alleged murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart.
Lebeya told the commission that he had never met or communicated with Molefe. He said he had instead been contacted by an individual known as Malcolm X, prompting him to instruct two senior managers to investigate allegations that people claiming to be DPCI members had been sent by him.
“I do not know Mr Katiso Molefe. I was not contacted by Mr Katiso Molefe; I was contacted by Malcolm X,” Lebeya said.
He strongly denied ordering Hawks members to disrupt a legitimate police operation.
“I have never instructed the members of the DPCI to interrupt a legitimate police operation,” he told the inquiry.
Police units converged on Molefe's home
Lebeya attributed the presence of several police units at Molefe's home during the raid to communication failures within the police crime intelligence division.
He said the incident highlighted a lack of coordination and synergy between different police structures during operations.
Lebeya's testimony comes as the commission examines allegations surrounding the conduct of law enforcement officials and their alleged links to criminal networks.
Legal funding dispute
Earlier, Lebeya's legal counsel told the commission that the former Hawks head has been appearing at the inquiry at his own expense after his request for legal representation funded by the South African Police Service (SAPS) was rejected.
Advocate Eric Nwedo argued that Deputy National Commissioner of Police Tebello Mosikili was responsible for the decision to decline Lebeya's application for legal funding.
Nwedo questioned SAPS's reasons for refusing the request, pointing to a similar application that was later approved for Dr Olivier during his appearance before the Khampepe Commission.
“Dr Lebeya is here before this commission at his own cost, including the cost of his legal representation,” Nwedo told the inquiry.
He said Lebeya had formally applied for SAPS-funded legal representation on 12 November 2025, but the application was declined in a notification dated 6 January 2026.
Lebeya is expected to continue giving evidence as the commission examines allegations relating to police operations, intelligence failures and the broader integrity of the criminal justice system.