PRETORIA - Former Hawks boss Godfrey Lebeya came under intense questioning at the Madlanga Commission over his contact with influencer Malcolm X and a late-night phone call the pair had in December 2024.
Lebeya struggled to explain the contents of the roughly three-minute call, which took place after he had received a thank-you message from Malcolm X.
The call came on 6 December 2024, the same day Malcolm X contacted Lebeya about concerns surrounding a police raid at the home of alleged underworld figure Katiso “KT” Molefe.
Lebeya previously told the commission that he had sent Hawks officers to the property to establish whether the operation was legitimate.
READ | Lebeya denies knowing Katiso Molefe, says Malcolm X prompted Hawks response
Commissioner Sandile Khumalo questioned why Malcolm X would call Lebeya at about 10pm after already sending him a message thanking him for the police intervention.
Khumalo asked:
“What is he calling you for at 10 o’clock at night? And what do you spend three minutes on the phone discussing with him if not to thank you further?”
Lebeya said Malcolm X had called to provide feedback on the police operation.
But Khumalo challenged this explanation, pointing out that Lebeya had already received feedback and a thank-you message from the influencer.
“You already had the feedback and the thank-you message. He told you, ‘Thank you for the efforts, King Nyambose appreciates’. Ten o’clock at night he calls you and you spend the longest time of the day on the phone with him,” Khumalo said.
Lebeya said he could not remember what the conversation was about.
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Khumalo pressed him further.
“It must have been important enough. People don’t just call you at 10 o’clock at night unless it is something important. By this point you knew it was a legitimate police operation. What is Malcolm X calling you about?” he asked.
The questioning forms part of the commission’s broader examination of the relationship between senior police officials, politically connected individuals and alleged criminal networks.
Lebeya also told the commission that he did not know of the existence of the so-called Big 5 cartel.