Suspended KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Lesetja Senona has raised concerns over what his legal team describes as unfair treatment at the Madlanga Commission, arguing that he has been repeatedly denied access to key information needed to properly respond to allegations.
His counsel, Dali Mpofu, questioned the scope of some of the commission’s lines of inquiry, saying they appeared to extend beyond its mandate and terms of reference.
“My client has not been given full access to the material he needs to respond, and he is being required to revisit matters that have already been dealt with,” Mpofu said, adding that the process risks becoming “procedurally unfair if this continues.”
Senona, meanwhile, has defended decisions taken during his tenure, including the reassignment of Warrant Officer Karl Sander.
He told the commission his instruction was for Sander to return to the Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit, explaining that the unit includes several sub-divisions such as the South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau.
“Any placement within that division would have complied with my instruction,” he said.
He further testified that allegations against Sander, including claims of involvement in cocaine theft from ports and supplying drugs to criminal gangs, warranted his temporary redeployment. Senona rejected suggestions that Sander was suspended or subjected to a polygraph test over unrelated claims.
Additional testimony from suspended Hawks Brigadier Campbell Nyuswa indicated that Senona was aware of security vulnerabilities at the Port Shepstone DPCI offices and ongoing efforts to strengthen them.
Nyuswa also told the commission that Senona had access to both sets of keys to a strong room where 541 kilograms of cocaine valued at about R200 million were stored before being stolen in an alleged inside job, compromising the chain of custody.
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