AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY: The cop who allegedly buried the bullets: forensic analyst faces second tampering charge

Captain Laurence Makgotloe, a SAPS forensic analyst facing charges for allegedly tampering with crucial ballistic evidence in the April 2024 murder of engineer Armand Swart, is now under renewed scrutiny amid claims that he had previously manipulated forensic evidence.

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.

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 employ