R50,000 to help solve slaying of Sanco activist

Police in the Eastern Cape are offering a R50,000 reward to anyone with information to help arrest the killers of the former Sanco subregional chair in Ngcobo, Bantu Negro Songca.

Songca was gunned down in his home in the Manzana administrative area in April 2019.

He had been at the forefront of many community service delivery protests, organised by his civic organisation, calling for the Ngcobo municipality to be placed under an administrator.

On Monday, the Sanco secretary in Ngcobo, Tando Tunce, sent a WhatsApp message with a notice of the reward which he claimed he had found plastered on the walls at the town’s police station.

Provincial police spokesperson Captain Khaya Tonjeni confirmed the reward, and said he sent a statement in April that the media had failed to publish.

He said Songca was killed just moments after arriving home with his girlfriend at 9.30pm. He was accosted by two men.

“When opening the gate, he was approached by two African males,” Tonjeni said. “One of them opened fire and fatally wounded him. His girlfriend escaped unscathed.”

The spokesperson said police had undertaken several steps to investigate Songca’s murder, without any success.

“Anyone with information can contact the investigating officer, Lt-Col Mtshiyo, on 071475-2292 or the Ngcobo organised crime unit on 082302-6989,” he said.

Information could also be shared via the SAPS crime stop number on 08600-10-111 or the 32211 crime line.

People could also call or visit the nearest police station.

“Callers will remain anonymous should they wish to and all information will be treated with strict confidentiality.”

The Dispatch reported last week that Sanco was planning a total shutdown of Ngcobo on Tuesday next week and had written a letter to Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane inviting him to come and personally receive a petition containing mostly service delivery grievances.

Attempts to contact Songca’s family were unsuccessful.