Former Hawks Head, Godfrey Lebeya, has denied Hawks’ interference in the arrest of Katiso “KT” Molefe for the murder of whistleblower Armand Swart.

This follows allegations by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, that Molefe had contacted the then Hawks head Lebeya, when officers from the Police Political Killings Task Team attempted to arrest Molefe for the murder of the 30-year-old engineer in April last year.

Mkhwanazi alleged that Lebeya dispatched a team to the home of Molefe to stop the arrest. However, Lebeya says he received a call from somebody else, believed to be a friend of Molefe’s, to enquire whether officers effecting the arrest of Molefe were in fact Hawks officers as they had claimed to be.

Video | Lebeya responds to allegations of links to Molefe:

He says that after establishing that no team from the Hawks had been sent to effect the arrest of the businessman, he instructed a team to investigate.

Lebeya adds that Molefe does not know him, nor have they met.

“But here we have a person who was complaining that people say they were sent by the Hawks when they weren’t.  That’s why we have to go and check. So, there was nothing wrong that the Hawks have done. They went there, not to go and interfere, but to go and ensure that the people who are there are legitimate, they are doing legal work,” says Lebeya.

Related video | Kenny Kunene breaks silence on being at Molefe’s house: