Durban — Two Umkomaas policemen, charged with the murder of ANC ward 99 councillor, Mnqobi Molefe, will appear in the Margate Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Molefe was shot and killed while at his fiancée’s home in Mvutshini village outside Margate on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in September.
The accused will be named at their next appearance. They were first arrested by the SAPS political killing unit for the murder of two people who were close associates of Molefe.
The accused appeared in the Scottburgh Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday and then moved to Margate Court on Friday after they were said to be linked to Molefe’s murder. Both investigations are being handled separately.
Police Minister Bheki Cele’s spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said the men were expected to apply for bail on Friday.
Molefe’s brother Sibonelo Molefe told the Daily News that the family was happy that the police made a breakthrough and was confident more arrests would be made soon.
Sibonelo said the family believed the killing was related to the construction of a dam under way in Umkomaas. The family alleged that Molefe had a problem with a business forum for control of the R1 billion project.
“My brother had told senior ANC leaders in eThekwini about people who were following him,” said Sibonelo.
Recalling the day of the incident, Sibonelo said unknown people forced a door open and shot and killed his brother in front of his fiancée.
The family did not know the motive for the killing, but a branch executive member who cannot be named for his own safety, said although Molefe was killed outside of eThekwini, his murder could have been organised within the branch. The ANC branch leadership suspected that the person who may have hired hit men to kill him could have been contracted by individuals involved in the dam project in the area, who had a dispute with him.
The source said it was no secret that the branch executive was divided and that a person known to Molefe began bad-mouthing him publicly. Molefe had been fighting for local contractors to get a slice of the project; some people hated him for doing that.
Daily News