AFRIFORUM AND SAPS AT ODDS OVER UMNGENI MURDER PROBE
The South African Police Force task team, which is investigating political killings in Kwazulu-natal, says it will not be dictated to, says a top-ranking police officer.
It follows criticism from Afriforum, which said it had secured ‘critical evidence’ that could help solve the murder of umngeni Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor, Nhlalayenza Ndlovu.
He was gunned down, in front of his wife and children, in December last year at his home in Mpophomeni, near Howick.
Ndlovu, who served as his party’s chief whip in the umngeni
Local Municipality, was shot more than ten times.
In a statement, released last
week, Afriforum’s private prosecution unit claimed that it had secured evidence that could solve the investigation into the politically motivated killing of Ndlovu, while accusing the police’s national crime intelligence unit of refusing to cooperate with them.
The DA’S independent task team appointed the private prosecution unit as its operational partner in January to help with the investigation into Ndlovu’s murder.
According to Afriforum’s Barry Bateman, the head of the SAPS’ crime intelligence, Major General Dumisani Khumalo, has shut down all communication with its private prosecution unit - despite its eagerness to assist the police.
Bateman said the unit, led by advocate Gerrie Nel and a team of specialised investigators, have conducted extensive consultations since January and followed up on numerous promising leads in the umngeni area.
He added: “At a meeting with Khumalo on March 13, Nel and his team expressed their willingness to work with the police.
“Regrettably, Khumalo has since terminated all communication with the unit and refuses to update Ndlovu’s widow and family on the investigation’s progress, despite the obligation on the police to do so.”
Following that meeting he sent a letter to Khumalo expressing his dissatisfaction.
“Your seeming unwillingness to foster a relationship of co-operation to solve this callous assassination is disappointing.
“Despite our indicating that we may be able to assist in the investigation because we have access to information from persons who distrust the police themselves, you have shown no interest.
“It became clear that you have no intention to deviate from the chosen ‘investigation plan’. The meeting fostered the inference that the SAPS are more concerned with controlling investigations and a narrative than solving this particular murder,” said Nel.
Just a month after the meeting, the SAPS made an appeal for the tracing of an induna in the Mpophomeni area, in connection with murder and attempted murder. The induna was previously arrested on January 8 in Mpophomeni for being in possession of a stolen electrical transformer.
When he appeared in the Howick Magistrate’s Court, he was granted R1 500 bail and his case was remanded to the beginning of April.
He failed to appear, submitting a doctor’s note stating that he was unwell and could not attend proceedings in person. That case was then postponed to May 8.
A week later, the national task team issued a statement announcing that he was wanted for murder and attempted murder and appealing for information on his whereabouts.
Bateman said that if Khumalo had agreed to co-operate with the private prosecution unit, the induna would have faced meaningful scrutiny on charges related to Ndlovu’s murder.
National police spokesperson Brigadier, Athlenda Mathe, said the team was always willing and always ready to meet with families to provide feedback on cases without the presence of third parties.
According to Mathe, the docket on Ndlovu’s murder was allocated to the task team and investigations were continuing.
“Further information cannot be divulged to anyone, including the Afriforum private prosecution unit, until the investigation is finalised and the perpetrators are brought to book,” she added.
Francois Rodgers, leader of the DA in the KZN Legislature, said the police’s lack of willingness to work with the Afriforum team was worrying.
“… it appears that law enforcement in the province is not willing to work with or communicate with us,” he added.
“I have requested a meeting with provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-general Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, both telephonically and in writing, in order to receive an update on the status of the investigation.
“It has become clear that the Commissioner is avoiding any such engagement. The question is why? Right now, there are more questions than answers.
“Either, SAPS do not have any information, or they have information that they are not willing to release. This is only compounding an already difficult situation and raises further suspicions around the motives behind political killings.” - Additional reporting Estelle Sinkins