Former ‘most wanted’ shot in suspected hit
A Port Elizabeth crime suspect, dubbed Nelson Mandela Bay’s most dangerous and wanted at one stage, was shot more than 15 times in a suspected hit.
Luvuyo “Mabele” Plaatjies, 34, was murdered in the garage of a house in Mbane Street in Zwide on Sunday.
He was released from jail in East London three months ago following his arrest in 2015 for allegedly being part of a gang that robbed a British American Tobacco truck.
The state withdrew the charges against Plaatjies and four others because the police docket had gone missing.
The latest incident follows three suspected hit murders and another shooting within a 24-hour period last week.
It brings the body count in suspected hits in the Bay since late January to at least 17.
Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said Plaatjies was gunned down at about 5.15pm while drinking in the garage with two friends.
“The door was half open at the time.
“Two gunmen then walked up to the door and just started shooting,” Beetge said.
“Several shots were fired. [Plaatjies] was shot multiple times.
“[One] of the other two men inside the garage managed to escape with only an arm wound but had vanished by the time police arrived.
“The third person escaped unscathed and was also gone.”
Plaatjies was no stranger to the law.
He was arrested several times for crimes including murder, armed robbery, cashin-transit heists and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Plaatjies was released from jail in January after the case against him and four others was withdrawn.
They were arrested days after allegedly robbing the cigarette delivery vehicle in Cambridge in November 2015.
Twelve cases, in total, against him were withdrawn between 2006 and 2019.
In 2012, Plaatjies – who had been on the run since 2006 – was dubbed one of the Bay’s most dangerous and wanted suspects.
Police said at the time they had linked him to a series of violent crimes across the Eastern Cape and other provinces.
Asked about the withdrawal of all the cases against Plaatjies over the years, Beetge said this was being investigated and police were seeking clarity on how he kept getting bail.
He declined to comment on whether any of the withdrawn charges had been due to witness murders or the intimidation of witnesses.
Beetge said the motive for Plaatjies’ murder was not known at this stage but police were looking at a possible link to gangsterism.
On March 12, Lolwethu Mbombo, 23, was shot at close range and managed to run into a yard in Buyambo Street, Kwazakhele, where he died.
Just 30 minutes before Mbombo’s murder, Mamiya Ntshanyana, 20, was shot dead while sitting in a jikeleza taxi in Lawrence Vinqi Road in KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage.
A few hours earlier, a landlord was shot outside the New Heaven Student Accommodation at the corner of Govan Mbeki Avenue and Elizabeth Street in North End.
He survived the shooting. On March 11, Sithethokuhle Qayisa, 26, was shot dead in Avenue A, New Brighton.
All four incidents are believed to be hit-related.