Madlanga Commission | Witness says investigators bribed and threatened in Tau murder case

The Madlanga Commission heard explosive testimony from Witness B, who claims that the investigating team handling the 2024 assassination of Armand Swart was threatened and pressured to abandon the case.

The witness, who admitted the investigation felt unusually heavy to manage, detailed serious interference faced by her team during the probe.

Warrant Officer Pule Tau was arrested and is currently standing trial for Swart’s murder.

Witness B told the Commission that since Tau’s arrest, the investigating team faced ongoing intimidation and interference. She said one of Tau’s associates, who often lingered near the team during court appearances, was allegedly tasked with targeting investigators.

She also claimed an informant approached one officer, attempting to bribe them to drop the case and warning that their lives were in danger if they refused.

The witness says a day after these threats, Tau was released on bail, prompting the team to bolster security, including hiring a private security company for protection.

Witness B further alleged that Major General Richard Shibiri warned her the case involved highly dangerous individuals working with police insiders and that three brown envelopes had been prepared as bribes for the magistrate, prosecutor, and investigating officer.

She also recalled noticing individuals outside the courthouse after Tau’s first appearance, whom she suspected were following her.

“We stopped at a garage not far in the town to de-brief and then proceeded back on the road and we noticed that we were still being followed, of which it was even noted that they tried to drive us off the road. Amongst the cars which were following us, at a later stage we got to know that it was linked to Tau because while doing our investigations we found it parked at his residence,” she added.

The witness said court officials informed her that photographs of her were being taken during the proceedings.

Among the hurdles faced, she said, was the issue of deleted ballistic reports. She was shocked that Captain Magotle of the SAPS ballistics lab in Pretoria opened a kidnapping case against the investigators after allegedly directing them to obtain the original ballistic reports, which had been amended.

“I found it strange that they think there was a kidnapping. How can we kidnap somebody at the police station where all the help is there to prevent it. Further, we were going to his office which he was directing us to. Also there is security at the gate so we can’t just gain access without his help. He was the one who talked to the security to assure them that there is nothing wrong and that we can gain entry,” she added.

Phone records indicated frequent communication between Tau and murder-accused Katiso “KT” Molefe in the days leading up to Swart’s assassination. Witness B explained how law enforcement linked Molefe to the 2024 murder of the Vereeniging engineer.

The Commission also heard that a tender contract was unlawfully awarded to Molefe’s nephew, Lucky, for his company, SK Group. This contract involved supplies to Transnet at inflated prices and was never publicly advertised.

A whistleblower reported the irregularities to the Department of Public Enterprises, prompting a request for documentation from Lucky, who delayed compliance.

Witness B also noted Tau scouting Q-Tech’s location days before Swart’s assassination.

An employee of Q-Tech noted that SK Group appeared to have been awarded a tender that was never publicly advertised and sold accessories to Transnet at significantly inflated prices.

According to Witness B, a whistleblower, reported these irregularities to the Department of Public Enterprises, which prompted a request for Lucky, to provide documentation detailing how the tender was granted.

She claims that Molefe’s nephew delayed in complying with this request.

Witness B also noted that they observed Tau, who had frequent communication with Molefe, scouting Q-Tech’s location just days before Swart’s assassination on April 17, 2024.

The Commission established that Swart was a victim of mistaken identity, and the intended target was another Q-Tech employee, whose identity remains protected.

Written by: Odirile Rabalao