Poison claims in youth league SG’s death
POLICE are investigating whether former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa was poisoned in hospital‚ where he was recovering from a gunshot wound sustained during an ambush in July.
A neighbour of Magaqa’s, who did not want to be named‚ said reports were surfacing that it was not the multiple gunshot wounds that had killed him – but something more suspicious.
“It is suspected that Super [Magaqa’s nickname] was poisoned because he was recovering.
“He was hit by a stomach bug‚ but then just died‚” the neighbour said.
Police Minister Fikile Mbalula has vowed to ensure that Magaqa’s killers are found and jailed, following his death on Monday.
Mbalula admitted that more needed to be done to ensure that political killings in KwaZuluNatal were dealt with.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said: “We have heard that [he was poisoned]‚ so we have to do a postmortem.
“We will only know for sure after that.”
Asked whether the postmortem was being prioritised because of the reports, Mulaudzi said: “Yes‚ for sure.
“We’re still trying to ascertain whether it was because of his injuries. There’s a lot we’re still looking at.
“We don’t want to make unnecessary pronouncements.
“What I can say is that a murder case has been opened linked to the shooting [in July]‚” he said.
Shortly after 6pm on July 13‚ Umzimkhulu municipal councillor Magaqa and two of his council colleagues were ambushed outside a shop on the outskirts of the southern KwaZulu-Natal town.
At least 12 rounds were fired into the car‚ probably from a high-powered rifle.
A week later‚ police released identikits of two people believed to have been involved in the shooting.
Mulaudzi said the police were also checking a tip-off that one of the two wanted men was killed after a shootout between police and a suspected cash-in-transit heist gang in Durban last week.
The second man was apparently one of the gang members injured and taken to hospital.
“[I am] waiting for the [investigation] team leader to confirm some information that we have about the two.
“There were some firearms picked up from the scene‚” he said.
Mbalula paid tribute to Magaqa‚ saying he was part of a “restless generation of young people‚ impatient with the economic marginalisation of young people”.