Case closed for fabled Byleveld

Top cop served with distinction

Piet Byleveld earned himself a legendary status through his success rate at cracking serial killer cases in South Africa for three decades. At his age-enforced retirement from the SA Police Service in 2010, he had served the police for 38 years.

Born Petrus Erasmus Johannes van Staden Byleveld on June 30 1950, he matriculated from Nylstroom High School in Limpopo before joining the police college in Pretoria at the age of 19.

A year later, in 1970, he began his long police career when he was stationed at the Hillbrow police station in Johannesburg. In 1972 “Piet Byl”, as he was known, joined Hillbrow’s detective unit and cultivated a colourful career.

He loved the media attention but then that also helped crime reporters because Byleveld was known to answer his phone and return calls. Relishing his popularity, Byleveld set himself up for a colourful social life. Combining that with his punishing work schedule would lead him to early retirement in 1988.

He resumed his police career in 1990, “after a considerable pressure from the Director of Public Prosecutions” to return, as he put it in his own words.

Some of the well-known cases he cracked include:

2006 – Sheldean Human murder: Andrew Jordaan was arrested for the murder of seven-year-old Sheldean. He was given life.

2004 – Leigh Mathews abduction and murder: He arrested Donovan Moodley who is now serving life.

2003 – Mine dumps serial killer: Sipho Dube was arrested by the Child Protection Unit for one case but Byleveld took over to expose other murders and rapes by Dube in Joburg and Ladysmith, KZN. He is serving life.

2003 – Hillbrow serial rapist: Fanwell Khumalo is serving 42 life sentences.

Byleveld died on Wednesday at the Life Wilgeheuwel Hospital in Roodepoort on the West Rand. He had stage-four cancer in both lungs.

“A good detective must have a passion for his job. You must accept that there’s no regular working hours‚ no time for holidays. You have to be totally dedicated to solving a particular case. When I put my mind to tracking down a killer‚ I don’t easily give up‚ even if the investigation lasts for years,” was Brigadier Byleveld’s message to other cops at his retirement.

He is survived by his second wife Elize.