SAPS forensic ballistics expert Captain Laurance Makgotloe appears in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court for a formal bail application on 2 June 2026. (Photo: Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu)
On Tuesday, 2 June, Captain Laurence Makgotloe’s bail proceedings in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court took a turn when the State revealed it intended to present evidence suggesting that he had allegedly committed a similar offence in 2018.
Details about the 2018 incident are as yet unclear, but the State has indicated that they would be brought up during Makgotloe’s bail application, which is scheduled to be heard on Thursday, 4 June.
The court was told that Makgotloe had allegedly been in unlawful possession of 38 rounds of ammunition when members of the Madlanga Commission Task Team, a SAPS unit, arrested him at his Pretoria home on Friday, 22 May.
Makgotloe’s arrest stems from evidence heard before the Madlanga Commission that related to alleged tampering with ballistic evidence linked to the April 2024 murder of Q-Tech engineer Armand Swart.
On Tuesday, prosecutors handed the court an amended charge sheet containing two counts of accessory after the fact to murder, and a charge relating to the unlawful possession of ammunition.
The revised charge sheet was served on the defence shortly before proceedings began, prompting objections from Makgotloe’s legal team. Arguing that the State’s late disclosure left them with insufficient time to assess the new allegations and obtain instructions from their client, the defence successfully requested a postponement to properly prepare its response and bail arguments.
The last-minute additions have added a fresh layer of complexity to proceedings already centred on allegations that Makgotloe tampered with crucial ballistic evidence linked to Swart’s murder.
The introduction of a second count of accessory after the fact to murder, reportedly linked to an alleged 2018 incident, signals a significant broadening of the State’s case against the SAPS forensic analyst.
Armand assassination opens a Pandora’s box
The assassination of engineer Swart set in motion a chain of events that led to the arrest of alleged underworld figure Katiso “KT” Molefe.
Evidence before the Madlanga Commission suggested that his nephew, Lucky Molefe, a Transnet buyer, was under pressure from investigators at the state-owned entity to hand over allegedly doctored tender documents reflecting inflated prices.
According to testimonies, the original plot was aimed at eliminating a whistleblower after Swart’s employer, Q Tech, flagged irregularities in a tender awarded to SK Group.
Swart, however, was not the whistleblower and is believed to have been killed in a case of mistaken identity.
Instead of complying with demands relating to the tender documents, Lucky allegedly turned to his uncle, who in turn allegedly approached the hitmen. The killing would later expose what investigators describe as a far wider web of organised crime, alleged corruption and violent criminal activity.
Cartridges connect the dots
Earlier testimony by Witness A, at the Madlanga Commission, revealed that police recovered 15 rifle cartridges in a plastic bag, along with a firearm found inside a Mercedes-Benz Viano allegedly linked to former warrant officer Michael Pule Tau, one of the men arrested for Swart’s murder. Investigators also seized an AK-47 assault rifle, several pistols and a Hyundai i20 allegedly used in the assassination.
It is at this point that SAPS forensic analyst Makgotloe allegedly enters the picture. According to the State, Makgotloe’s ballistic report omitted any reference to the 15 cartridges recovered during the investigation, leading prosecutors to allege that he had tampered with critical forensic evidence.
The allegation gained traction after investigators commissioned a second ballistic analysis. Conducted at the Amanzimtoti Forensic Science Laboratory, the review allegedly linked the seized firearms to 30 serious and violent crimes, a finding that dramatically expanded the scope of the investigation.
The significance of those ballistic links became clearer on 4 December 2025 when the National Prosecuting Authority announced that Molefe and his co-accused, Tau, Floyd Mabisela and Musa Kekana, faced 35 charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder and the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
The State further alleges that Katiso Molefe orchestrated the murder of Oupa Sefoka, better known as DJ Sumbody, who was gunned down in Woodmead, Johannesburg, in November 2022. Prosecutors contend that forensic evidence connected the high-calibre rifles used in Sefoka’s killing to several other high-profile murders, including those of Hector Buthelezi, known as DJ Vintos, Don Tindleni and Swart.
What began as the murder of a man allegedly killed by mistake has cracked open a nationwide conspiracy exposing allegations of tender corruption, police misconduct, forensic interference and a network of assassinations stretching across South Africa’s criminal underworld and the “Big Five” cartel.
State set to oppose bail in high-stakes case
On Tuesday, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Gauteng Division: Pretoria, Lumka Mahanjana, said the State would oppose bail, citing the seriousness of the charges facing the accused.
Setting out the State’s case Mahanjana said investigations revealed the firearm and ammunition allegedly used in the murder were submitted to Makgotloe on 9 May 2024 for ballistic examination.
“It is alleged that after conducting the examination, Makgotloe submitted inaccurate reports to his superiors, which he later retrieved and failed to return. It is further alleged that he also removed the firearm and ammunition to prevent further examination and never returned them,” she said.
When Makgotloe first appeared in court, he faced a charge of being an accessory after the fact to murder, as well as a count relating to the possession of ammunition. However, the case against him has since expanded significantly.
“The second charge emanates from a different case, which happened in 2018, where the accused allegedly did the same thing in relation to allegedly tampering with ballistics, where he produced results which he knew would not stand in court,” Mahanjana said.
The additional charge has broadened the scope of the prosecution’s case and is expected to feature prominently in the State’s opposition to bail.
Makgotloe, who has remained behind bars since his arrest on 22 May, is expected to formally apply for bail in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 4 June, where prosecutors are set to argue that the seriousness of the charges and the circumstances surrounding the allegations warrant his continued detention. DM