The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

In what appears to be yet another example of the authorities paying lip service to their commitment to rooting out corruption, Hawks Tactical Operations Head Brigadier Lesiba Mokoena, who gave evidence before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, has been promoted despite being under criminal investigation, and despite serious questions raised about his integrity under oath and filed in a case docket.

He is accused of making fraudulent entries in a register to unlawfully claim overtime. The alleged conduct was reported by a subordinate 18 months ago, yet the Hawks’ anti-corruption section says the “investigation is continuing and statements must still be obtained”.

The complainant, a warrant officer, approached AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit in November last year after Hawks management failed to investigate and act on the complaint. During his testimony before the Madlanga Commission in October last year, Mokoena was a brigadier, a rank above colonel, which was his rank when the complaint was filed in November 2024.

Advocate Gerrie Nel, head of the Unit, says this failure to act stands in stark contrast to the speed with which action is often taken against people mentioned at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. “Although we criticise the appointment of commissions of inquiry to substitute police investigations, we have noted the sudden apparent efficiency of the SAPS in investigating certain matters

“On this very aspect of investigating your own, we find it extraordinarily peculiar that a simple and uncomplicated allegation of misrepresentation relating to ‘overtime’ by a senior member of SAPS has, since 2024, resulted in your office repeatedly reporting ‘progress’ as part of an ongoing investigation. We must accept that your office has the necessary skills to deal with such matters,” said Nel.

At the Madlanga Commission, Mokoena was accused of playing a significant role in efforts by the Hawks to disrupt the Political Killings Task Team’s arrest of Katiso Molefe on 6 December 2024. The commission criticised him for being evasive and inconsistent about his role in the incident. Meanwhile, since the fraud complaint was filed in November 2024, Hawks management has told the complainant that the matter remains under investigation, prompting the complainant to approach the Private Prosecution Unit in December last year.

Barry Bateman, spokesperson for the unit, says the Hawks’ conduct in the case against Mokoena has exposed selective investigation. “While the Madlanga Commission has prompted public claims of a renewed commitment to accountability within the SAPS, developments behind the scenes suggest this is merely window dressing in response to the embarrassment of the revelations broadcast live almost every day for the past nine months.

But what concerns the Private Prosecution Unit is the selective way law enforcement exercises its authority, and how this appears to be swayed by political expediency rather than a genuine commitment to addressing malfeasance within the ranks. This office was established to address selective prosecution and will apply pressure on the Hawks to conclude its investigation so that prosecution can follow if the State does not have the appetite to do so,” said Bateman.

The Unit has asked the Hawks to provide a meaningful response to questions about the status of the investigation and an explanation for the inexplicable delay in finalising the matter.

Issued by AfriForum