Cape Town - The Gugulethu Community Policing Forum (CPF) has urged residents to exercise caution in disclosing personal information, following revelations that actor David Manuel was murdered in an alleged life insurance plot.
Police made the breakthrough in the murder investigation of the Noem My Skollie actor, who was killed along with friend Alfonso Fisher.
The victims were shot and killed on October 8.
Manuel died on the scene in NY 141, Gugulethu, while Fisher was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died. Police spokesperson, Wesley Twigg, said the pair were attacked around 10.18pm on that fateful Tuesday evening.
“Police members responded to a complaint of a shooting and upon arrival on the scene they found the victims with gunshot wounds to their bodies.
“One victim was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel, while the other victim was taken to a medical facility for medical treatment where he later died.”
Police have since arrested a man and a woman for the murder.
A community member said the suspects are related.
“The police have arrested a sister and brother for the murder of Gums (Manuel),” the source said.
Twigg confirmed the arrest and said the suspects will appear in court tomorrow.
“Provincial Serious and Violent Crime detectives started an intense investigation into the circumstances of the murders. The investigation revealed that life insurance policies were taken out by family members which was identified as a possible motive.
“On Tuesday, 12 November, two suspects - a male and a female between 30 and 40, were arrested in connection with the murders.
“The suspects will appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on charges of murder and fraud. The possibility of more arrests are not excluded.”
Gugulethu CPF spokesperson, Linda Kabeni, said they were concerned about the increase in murders motivated by life insurance policies.
“We ask the police to be ruthless when they deal with anyone who opens a policy with the intention to murder.
“And the state should thoroughly investigate when a drug addict or vulnerable people like those who are physically challenged are shot dead.
“We have discovered that most of these murders are planned by those who are well-off such as lawyers, doctors and even cops.
“What kind of society are we living in if we are not safe from our families, who will open a policy on our names only to kill us?”
He said some criminals get their victims’ information from social media.
“We also discovered that the funeral parlours are working with the criminals, some are not even related to the deceased but they are able to get documents.
“Once a person is killed, police must do a thorough investigation and a precedent has been set, and this is not an isolated case.
“These criminals must be brought to book.”
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za
Cape Argus