Former Umzimkhulu municipal official arrested for the murder of ANCYL leader Sindiso Magaqa
National police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, said the 55-year-old suspect was arrested on Monday in Malvern, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
Mathe added that he is expected to appear at the Umzimkhulu Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
Meanwhile the hitman, Sibusiso Ncengwa was recently sentenced to 85 years in prison.
During his trial, Ncengwa implicated other people in plotting and coordinating the assassination.
His two alleged accomplices were former police officer Sibonelo Myeza and businessman Mbulelo Mpofana. The third accomplice, Mlungisi Ncalane, will not see his day in court as he had been declared mentally unfit to stand trial and has been confined to a mental institution.
Ncengwa is now expected to testify against the two other accused, who were allegedly present during Magaqa's shooting on July 13, 2017.
Two councillors, Jabulile Msiya and Nonsikelelo Mafa, who were with Magaqa during the attack at a car wash, were also shot but survived.
Another alleged accomplice, Jabulani Mdunge, who allegedly sprayed Magaqa and others with AK-47 bullets, died in a shootout with police.
During the mitigation of his sentence, Ncengwa confessed that a day before the shooting, he went to Umzimkhulu from Durban to confirm Magaqa's identity.
On the day of the murder, he spotted Magaqa arriving at the car wash he often frequented.
The assailants were paid a total of more than half a million Rand for the murder.
Magaqa was killed for speaking out against a corruption-riddled tender to construct a local memorial hall.
[email protected]
IOL News
Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
an hour ago
- Eyewitness News
Ballistic testing links Katiso 'KT' Molefe to AK-47 rifle used in murders of DJ Sumbody, DJ Vintos
JOHANNESBURG - An AK-47 rifle has connected the murders of popular musicians, including Oupa Sefoka, and other high-profile killings linked to controverial businessman, Katiso "KT" Molefe. Molefe returned to the Alexandra Magistrate's Court with three others for the murder of Sefoka, who was better known as DJ Sumbody. But police revealed that the dodgy businessman had also been charged for the murder of another musician, Hector Buthelezi, known as DJ Vintos. His co-accused have also been charged for another hit. Katiso "KT" Molefe is already facing murder charges for the hit on Vereening engineer, Armand Swart, in April 2024. Last week, he was charged for being the alleged mastermind behind DJ Sumbody's murder and on Tuesday he was linked to the killing of another popular musician, DJ Vintos. The police's Athlenda Mathe said the links we made through ballistic testing. "The AK47 and the three pistols that were found on the Armand Swart case and were linked to his case, we're linking it to the killing of DJ Vintos and the killing of DJ Sumbody and his bodyguards." Mathe said that the same gun was also linked to the 2023 hit on a man identified as Don Tindleni, who was shot while driving in his BMW on the N1 highway in March 2023. Mathe said that apart from the ballistic evidence, the police had more solid evidence against Molefe and his co-accused.
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
Suspects in DJ Sumbody murder case linked to multiple unsolved assassinations
Four suspects, Katiso Molefe, Michael Pule Tau, Musa Kekana, and Tiego Floyd Mabusela, accused of the murder of Oupa Sefoka, popularly known as DJ Sumbody, are now linked to a string of unsolved assassinations. The suspects appeared before the Alexandra Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for the bail application of Sandton Businessman Molefe. The court postponed Molefe's bail application to August 6. The three alleged hitmen – Tau, Kekana, and Mabusela – had previously revealed that they had no intention of applying for bail on July 22. According to police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe, the South African Police Service (SAPS) Political Killings Task Team and Gauteng Organised Crime Unit have connected the suspects to two additional cases. Also read: Suspects in DJ Sumbody's murder linked to multiple high-profile cases The first case involves the murder of Hector Buthelezi, known as DJ Vintos, who was gunned down in a hail of bullets outside a nightclub in Orlando East back in March 2022. The second case, from March 2023, is the killing of Don Tindleni on the N1, near the A17 off-ramp. Both cases had previously remained unsolved. 'Our investigations have now brought us to this point,' said Mathe. 'We are linking the AK-47, as well the three pistols that were found on the Armand Swart case, to the killing of Armand Swart, the killing of DJ Vintos, the killing of DJ Sumbody and his bodyguards, and to the Don Tindleni's murder.' All four accused face charges for the murder of DJ Vintos, while the three alleged hitmen are also charged in connection with Tindleni's assassination. Mathe said investigations to reveal the mastermind behind Tindleni's murder are ongoing. Molefe was out on bail in connection with the murder of Swart at the time of his arrest for DJ Sumbody's murder. Now, intending to apply for bail for the murder of DJ Sumbody, he has also been charged in connection with the murder of DJ Vintos. Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration!
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
Two more murder cases linked to suspects in DJ Sumbody killing
So far, the accused have been linked to a total of four murder cases, which will be centralised Businessman Katiso 'KT' Molefe and three alleged hitmen appear at Alexandra Magistrate's Court in connection with the murder of DJ Sumbody on 29 July 2025. Picture: Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo Two additional murder cases have been linked to controversial businessman Katiso 'KT' Molefe and the three men charged alongside him in the killing of South African artist Oupa John Sefoka, widely known as DJ Sumbody. Molefe, along with former police detective Michael Pule Tau, Musa Kekana, and Tiego Floyd Mabusela, made a second appearance at the Alexandra Magistrate's Court on Tuesday. The four men face charges including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of illegal ammunition. ALSO READ: DJ Sumbody's family welcomes the arrests of suspects and thanks police Molefe is believed to have ordered the hit on Sefoka, while his three co-accused allegedly carried it out. Sefoka was killed in a drive-by shooting in Woodmead, Gauteng, in November 2022. His two bodyguards, Sibusiso Mokoena and Sandile Myeza, were also shot and killed at the scene. The four accused are also suspects in the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart, who was gunned down outside his workplace in April 2024. Swart was shot 23 times. That case is currently before the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. More charges added as DJ Sumbody murder case postponed On Tuesday, it was revealed that the accused now face charges in connection with two more murder cases. The first involves the killing of Hector Buthelezi, known as DJ Vintos. The second case concerns the murder of Don Tindleni, who was killed on the N1 highway in Johannesburg in March 2023. Speaking outside court, national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe provided further details on the new charges, revealing that Buthelezi was gunned down outside a nightclub in Orlando East, Soweto, in March 2022. 'He was killed in a hail of bullets. At the time, the suspects were driving a BMW X3. His killers were never found,' she said. READ MORE: DJ Sumbody's murder exposes connection between crime and power Mathe told the media that the four firearms – three pistols and one AK-47 – seized when Kekana, Tau and Mabusela were arrested on the same day Swart was killed, have now been linked to the murders of Buthelezi and Tindleni. 'We don't only have the ballistics expert report that is linking these suspects to these particular hits. There's other overwhelming evidence that suggests that they are involved in the murders of these victims.' However, Mathe clarified that Molefe has not been charged in the Tindleni case. 'We are only adding the three hitmen. We are still investigating who the mastermind behind the Don Tindeni murder is, and we are hoping that in no time that information will come to light.' Mathe also confirmed that Molefe's bail application has been postponed to 6 August. His co-accused have opted not to seek bail. She added that the police continue to investigate other high-profile cases, some of which have also been linked through ballistic tests. One trial? In response to how these cases will be managed, Mathe said the state is working to consolidate them into a single trial. 'We are told that they are going to be centralised so Armand Swart's case, DJ Vintos, Don Tindleni, DJ Sumbody and his two bodyguards, those cases will be heard in one court. 'It's the same charges in all these cases.' Mathe further addressed the attempted murder case involving actress and influencer Tebogo Thobejane, where Mabusela and Kekana are suspects. 'Only two hitmen are linked to that particular case, but in terms of the firearm that was used, we are still looking for it. 'The AK-47 and the three pistols are linked to the four other cases but not yet the Tebogo Thobejane case.' She concluded that the motive behind the murders will not yet be made public. 'The motive, for now that's still going to come out in court, so we're not going to rush to speculate. Our investigators are still hard at work in piecing together some information, obviously closing the loopholes and the gaps.' NOW READ: Firearms used in DJ Sumbody's murder linked to 10 other high-profile cases
