Cele orders cops to act with haste
“Killers must be found in four days”
Police Minister Bheki Cele has given Mpumalanga police four days to arrest the murderers of three young men in what he described as “politically motivated” killings.
Addressing thousands of Piet Retief community members at Mandla Magudulela Stadium yesterday, Cele said he had appointed the Hawks and crime intelligence to the cases.
Community members accused Mkhondo executive mayor Vusi Motha of ordering the hit on the three because they had spoken out against corruption in the municipality.
Cele was also told the mayor allegedly worked with police to cover up the crimes.
“I have instructed the provincial commissioner [Mondli Zuma] to form a team not from here,” Cele said.
“So even if one is so tough, we will arrest them... I’m giving this team four days to deal with these killings. We know they are political, but killing a person is a crime.”
Cele said he would refer the matter to the ANC’s provincial and national offices.
“What’s making me more angry is that the people being killed are young,” he said.
“I want these people who kill our people to get years, like that guy who killed a girlfriend and got 32 years.”
There were two factions at Mandla Magudulela Stadium who disrupted each other with singing, some singing against the mayor and others in support of him.
Bongi Sibiya, one of the residents who claim to have run foul of the mayor, said he had got a call from the mayor threatening to kill him after he [Sibiya] had reported corruption to the ANC and public protector.
“I received a call from the mayor saying that for reporting him I have declared war to him,” he said.
“After a few days my house and two cars inside were set alight. I had to sit inside a burning house with my twoyear-old baby and my wife because there were people with guns outside.”
Another alleged victim, Skhulu Shabalala, told Cele the mayor had demolished his shack with him inside.
“This mayor must just go, we don’t want him. He has hitmen whom he hires to kill people who are against him. This mayor sent people to demolish my shack while I was inside. I was hospitalised after that,” he said.
Two of the three dead men had led a march to hand over a memorandum of grievances to the mayor’s office.
However, Motha denied the allegations. He said he had only called Sibiya to tell him how to lay complaints.
“I never said I will kill him, I only talked to him about how he must lay complaints. I have no hitmen. These are just allegations. Maybe the police will help us on that because I also spoke to the station commander here to solve the killings,” Motha said.