Madlanga Commission | Lebeya rejects Molefe raid interference claims, details O’Sullivan clash and Aeroton bust

Former Hawks boss, Dr Godfrey Lebeya, has rejected allegations that he interfered with the December 2025 raid at suspected underworld kingpin, Katiso “KT” Molefe’s, Sandton residence.

Testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Thursday, Lebeya also detailed his strained relationship with private investigator, Paul O’Sullivan, and raised concerns about the controversial Aeroton drug bust.

Lebeya said O’Sullivan contacted him in 2024 seeking updates on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala litigation.

He said their relationship deteriorated after he declined to provide information about the matter.

According to Lebeya, O’Sullivan later accused him of unlawfully occupying the position of Hawks boss and instituted legal proceedings against him, which he eventually withdrew.

Lebeya said O’Sullivan also contacted him while allegedly in the company of his medical practitioner friend, Dr Bejani Chauke, seeking updates on the President’s case.

He said he declined the request.

Lebeya further claimed that former Advocate, Malesela Tefo, and self-proclaimed whistleblower, Patrick Masahle, were among those intent on having him removed from office.

Turning to the Molefe raid, Lebeya denied claims that he instructed Hawks officials to disrupt the operation on 6 December 2025.

Instead, he attributed the chaos to poor planning and execution, arguing that the team responsible for the operation failed to properly coordinate the mission.

The commission previously heard that Lebeya deployed Hawks officials to Molefe’s residence after receiving reports that people allegedly posing as law enforcement officers were interfering with the operation.

Lebeya said he instructed officials to verify the identities of the team conducting the raid, and was told they were legitimate police officers.

He said the involvement of several law enforcement agencies pointed to serious shortcomings in the planning and execution of the operation.

Lebeya also raised concerns about people allegedly impersonating Hawks officials, saying at least 30 unresolved cases have been recorded since December 2024.

He said some suspects had allegedly used Hawks regalia, the names of senior officials and even his photographs to defraud members of the public.

He cited the case involving, Thabo Enoch Theletsane, as an example of how his position as Hawks boss was allegedly exploited.

“It is worth mentioning that several persons were using my photographs to defraud members of the public. One such person, Thabo Enock Theletsane, who was using a cellphone number was arrested under a case that was registered in November 2024 under Garsfontein Cas of 13 of 11 2024. There were complaints received from Limpopo, North West, Western Cape, Gauteng, and Free State about people about people pretending to be me,” Lebeya said.

Lebeya also recalled receiving a call from a man identifying himself as “Malcolm X” during the Molefe operation.

He said the caller claimed that people at the property were impersonating Hawks officials.

Lebeya testified that he immediately sought to establish whether the allegations were legitimate and instructed officials to verify the identities of the team conducting the raid.

He said the feedback he received was that the original team comprised legitimate police officials.

Once their identities had been confirmed, Lebeya said the team was allowed to continue with the search-and-seizure operation.

On the controversial Aeroton drug bust, Lebeya said he could not recall suspended Gauteng Hawks head Major-General, Ebrahim Kadwa, informing him about the 9 July 2021 operation.

According to Lebeya, some alleged impersonators went as far as wearing Hawks regalia, assuming positions within the organisation and using the names of senior DPCI officials.

He said provincial Hawks heads were expected to notify him when major operations required national DPCI involvement, but there was no record of such a call from Kadwa.

However, he said there was no record indicating that such a call had taken place.

Lebeya said he saw no reason at the time to exercise direct oversight, as he trusted Kadwa to fulfil his responsibilities.

“As an experienced senior manager, I would expected of him to do whatever was necessary in line with the prescripts of the law. There was no need for me to exercise any oversight. He never sought any assistance from me. I was comfortable that a senior manager is at the scene which is what is expected,” Lebeya said.

Police intercepted around 715 kilograms of cocaine, valued at an estimated R300 million, during the Aeroton operation.

The seizure has since come under scrutiny at the commission, with testimony suggesting it may have been a staged operation allegedly engineered by rival criminal syndicates, with the assistance of corrupt police officers, to hijack the cocaine consignment.

Written by: Odirile Rabalao