Olorato Mongale murder suspect wanted to end his life, says last person to see him before shoot-out with cops

The Herald

4 days ago

The Mason Arbor Town tenant who rents vehicles — including one to Makhanya last year — and asked not to be named told TimesLIVE the murder suspect visited him in the early hours of Wednesday and again on Thursday.
He said on Wednesday Makhanya called him to hire a car.
'He wanted me to give him an address or I must direct him to my place. When he got here I gave him a code. When he came here he was a person who desperately needed a car and he was with another person,' said the tenant.
'I had learnt he was someone who was being pursued by the police. I told him I am unable to do business with him because his photo was being circulated widely,' he said.
He said Makhanya came back a day later with the same plea.
'He asked me to hear him out and expressed his intentions to kill himself. He was crying while we were in the parking lot,' he said.
The tenant said Makhanya accompanied him to his third floor flat where he opened up about his life.
'He told me his mother was against this [criminal activities] and often called him out. But he did not listen to his mother. He said had he listened to his mother then things would have been OK,' said the tenant.
'The whole conversation took over three hours and he wanted to kill himself. There was just the two of us and I was in a predicament because I had to calm him down. I told him the solution was not to kill himself but rather own up and get sentenced because he said both his parents were working.
'I could not do anything at the time because I did not know what he would do. Even though he had taken me to his confidence, I did not feel safe. I also did not spot the firearm but saw the cellphones he had,' said the tenant.
He said he was alarmed to learn about a string of cases Makhanya was facing and that he did not intend to kill the former TimesLIVE journalist but rather he wanted to extort money from her.
He said Makhanya finally agreed to hand himself over to the Amanzimtoti police at dawn.
'He even told me he wanted to take a moment and pray which is the time when the police invaded my place,' said the tenant.
He said the incident had taken a toll on him.
The tenant would not elaborate on the shooting between Makhanya and the police, or where he was during the incident.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said the suspect was found with 28 ID cards and about 20 cellphones.
Mkwanazi said the tenant claimed Makhanya confessed about the murder and claimed he had been locked up in his flat while Makhanya went to buy food and get money.
A nyone who spots the other two suspects should immediately contact Brig Edwin Nama on 082-778-9035.
TimesLIVE