Crime Intel Head, Lt-Gen. Dumisani Khumalo, said organised crime cartels or hit organisers were increasingly recruiting serving police officers to be hitmen in political and commercial assassinations.
Testifying before the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday, Khumalo said this disturbing trend was uncovered by investigators who realised that the perpetrators were within the SAPS.
“They want members who have experience or are still serving within the criminal justice system,” Khumalo said.
“We have seen hit coordinators and orderers adopting this new way of recruiting serving SAPS members to act as hitmen.”
Khumalo said the arrest of Warrant Officer Michael Pule Tau, accused of being part of the hit squad that killed engineer Armand Swart, was not a surprise.
Tau is the alleged killer who killed Swart on April 17, 2024 in Vereeniging.
“That development was consistent with what we’ve been observing,” he testified.
Tau, once a detective at Johannesburg Central police station, was later rearrested after violating bail conditions granted on medical grounds.
Swart’s murder, Khumalo explained, exposed both the infiltration of law enforcement by organised syndicates and the growing sophistication of assassination networks.
Swart was gunned down in a case of mistaken identity — allegedly targeted after a Transnet whistleblower exposed a massive overpricing scam, in which R3.90 machine springs were resold to the state rail company for R151 each.
The ensuing investigation revealed that Swart’s killers had intended to silence the actual whistleblower.
Within hours of the shooting, officers arrested Tau and two other alleged hitmen, Musa Kekana and Floyd Mabusela.
Months later, businessman Katiso “KT” Molefe was identified as the alleged mastermind and arrested in December 2024.
Khumalo told the Commission that traditional investigative approaches were no longer effective against organised crime.
He and provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi agreed to restructure the Swart murder probe into an analysis-driven, prosecutor-led investigation, bringing in ballistic experts, digital analysts, crime scene specialists and an operational commander to coordinate the case.
A state prosecutor in the Swart matter had earlier written to senior officials warning that “the lives of the investigating officers are in extreme danger,” citing Tau’s access to technology and criminal associates.
The letter urged provincial and national intervention to protect both investigators and evidence.
Khumalo continues with his testimony.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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