PRETORIA, Tuesday 1 September 2026 — The Madlanga Commission has criticised former Hawks national head Dr Godfrey Lebeya for failing to act on investigation findings pointing to possible negligence and misconduct over the storage of a 541kg cocaine consignment later stolen from a Hawks facility in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal.
The criticism emerged during Lebeya’s testimony on Tuesday evening, marking a material escalation from earlier questioning about why former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major-General Lesetja Senona had not been treated as a person of interest in the theft.
The commission heard that reports commissioned after the cocaine disappeared recommended further investigation and possible disciplinary action.
Lebeya did not institute disciplinary proceedings or ensure that those recommendations were implemented, according to evidence presented at the inquiry.
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi told Lebeya that responsibility for failing to act ultimately rested with him as the head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation.
Baloyi characterised the failure to implement the outcome of an investigation commissioned under Lebeya’s authority as a matter for which he bore responsibility.
The exchange does not amount to a formal finding of misconduct against Lebeya. The Madlanga Commission is still receiving evidence and will make findings and recommendations in its reports.
Lebeya had earlier told the commission that he did not regard Senona as a person of interest following the theft, despite Senona having been responsible for keys to the strong room in which the cocaine was stored.
Evidence leaders questioned why Senona was not subjected to a polygraph examination.
Lebeya said he regarded the former provincial Hawks head as the complainant rather than a potential suspect.
The commission has also heard conflicting evidence about whether Lebeya knew before the theft that the drugs were being stored at the Port Shepstone facility.
Senona previously testified that he informed Lebeya of the storage arrangements.
Lebeya told the commission on Tuesday that he could not recall receiving that information and declined to accuse Senona of giving false evidence.
The cocaine had been seized before being placed in Hawks custody.
Its subsequent disappearance has become part of the commission’s wider examination of possible governance, investigative and accountability failures within law-enforcement institutions.
The Madlanga Commission is investigating allegations of criminality, corruption and political interference across the criminal justice system following claims first made publicly by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi in July 2025.
The Hawks have featured prominently in recent evidence before the inquiry, including testimony about senior officials, investigations and relationships with individuals alleged to have links to criminal networks.
Lebeya’s evidence is significant because he headed the Hawks nationally during the period under examination.
Tuesday evening’s exchange shifts the focus beyond the circumstances of the cocaine theft itself to the question of whether senior leadership responded adequately once internal investigations identified possible failures.
Lebeya is expected to return to the commission on Wednesday, 2 September, when his evidence and cross-examination will continue.
The commission will then enter a short recess from 3 September, with public hearings scheduled to resume on 14 September. Its final report is currently due to President Cyril Ramaphosa on 16 November 2026.
Further questioning of Lebeya may establish whether the commission considers the failure to implement recommendations an isolated administrative lapse or evidence of broader weaknesses in accountability within the Hawks.
