A police investigator testifying before the Madlanga commission of inquiry has alleged EFF leader Julius Malema was mentioned as being indirectly connected to a network of individuals linked to an organised crime cartel.
Testifying in camera, the investigator identified as Witness A said he was warned by Gauteng crime investigation service head Maj-Gen Richard Shibiri that Katiso “KT” Molefe, who was arrested in connection with the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart, was part of a group of five men with mining interests in North West, some of whom were allegedly connected to the late notorious taxi owner Jonathan “King Mswazi” Msibi and another figure named as “Mthakathi”.
Shibiri allegedly spoke about links between the suspect, a man identified as Zee Nxumalo, Malema, and suspended national deputy police commissioner Gen Shadrack Sibiya.
“He said Zee is a close friend of Julius Malema, who is a politician who tends to be close to Gen Sibiya. He was connecting the person we arrested to Zee, then Zee to Malema, who is friends with Gen Sibiya. He was painting a picture for me that I did not know to say be aware, this is how the chain goes,” he said.
According to the witness, after attempted interference at the scene during the take-down operation at Molefe’s Sandhurst home, more attempts were made soon after his arrest.
A day after the arrest, the witness alleged he received a call from an officer who he identified as Col Mokoena fr0m his office.
Mokoena allegedly asked why Molefe was arrested and detained at Pretoria Central police station and not a local station.
He also asked why witness A did not report the success on a work WhatsApp group.
Mokoena allegedly said Sibiya had called him asking where Molefe was arrested, who detained him and why he was not detained at a local police station. He allegedly said Sibiya was not happy.
“He said I must be careful that I won’t face civil claims for what I did. I didn’t understand what he was saying because we have been doing this for a long time as police,” witness A said.
Witness A said the situation painted a picture that there was pressure from somewhere and the person had influence.
He had earlier told the commission about a call he received after Molefe’s arrest to inform he had arrested “a person of the generals”.
Witness A said Shibiri told him Sibiya wanted information on the Swart murder and not to brief the national commissioner.
“He said he didn’t want to do it because he knew Sibiya didn’t want to brief the national commissioner, but he wanted to brief the other side.”
The witness said he understood this to mean the other side was either the suspect or the group (cartel) to which the suspect belonged.
The witness said he remains unsure whether Shibiri is allegedly compromised “in the sense that he is working for the syndicate or whether he felt so indebted to Sibiya for his promotion that he was acting on the instruction of Sibiya to see whether I and witness B could be corrupted as a sign of gratitude to Sibiya for the role he played in his promotion”.
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