Fort Hare bodyguard's murder: 2 arrested, third suspect on the run
Police have arrested two alleged hitmen in connection with the murder of Mboneli Vesele, who was the bodyguard of Fort Hare vice chancellor and principal, Prof Sakhele Buhlungu.
The Witness reports that the other suspects were handcuffed in Zakariyya Park, south of Johannesburg, earlier in June. This brings the number of suspects arrested in connection with the Fort Hare murder to 12.
Ten others have been arrested since 2023, with some still in police custody.
Vesele was shot and killed inside a vehicle while waiting for the vice chancellor outside the principal's home in Alice, in the Eastern Cape, on January 6, 2023.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe says SAPS put out a call to the public for information linked to the murder.
On November 15, 2024, the SAPS published the alleged hitmen's photographs and a request to the public for assistance in tracking down the three wanted suspects after obtaining a J50 warrant of arrest for Bafana Chiliza, Nkosiyazi 'Dipopoz' Maphumulo and Siphiwo 'Spijojo' Jejane.
'On June 21, the team proceeded to Zakkariya Park in Johannesburg following intelligence and information from members of the public. Two of the three [alleged] hitmen were arrested. The SAPS confirms Bafana Chiliza and Nkosiyazi Maphumulo are in custody and will be charged accordingly,' Mathe says.
She adds that the suspects are expected to appear in the Alice Magistrate's Court today, and police are still searching for the third alleged hitman, Siphiwo Jejane.
Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.
Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
Read original story on witness.co.za
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
41 minutes ago
- The Citizen
Are CPFs equipped to tackle crime?
THE role of community police forums (CPFs) can be viewed as essential as crime rates across the country remain alarmingly high. CPFs were established to involve local stakeholders in the fight against and prevention of crime in their respective policing areas. According to the SAPS, these forums meet regularly with the police officers in charge of CPFs in their local police stations to discuss crime-related issues and to find solutions. The question of the effectiveness of CPFs in crime prevention and fighting has been raised across the board, in particular, whether these forums are adequately trained and sufficiently supported and resourced in order to carry out their mandate. Also read: Police seize counterfeit alcohol worth R250 000 In response to a parliamentary question to the minister of police in April this year, it was indicated that the SAPS supports and directly provides assistance to CPFs and community patrollers by providing resources, and procedural guidelines 'that are designed to improve the safety of CPF members and community patrollers while deployed in support of the SAPS'. The response further stated that in the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years, the SAPS budgeted R140m for 'CPFs to procure vehicles, physical equipment and information technology to support their functioning'. Additionally, it was said in the parliamentary response that the SAPS, working with provincial governments, is looking into possibly setting up Community Patrol Control Centres 'which will receive and co-ordinate urgent notifications from community patrollers' who work under CPFs 'as the eyes and ears of the SAPS'. Also read: Westville CPF calls for greater community involvement Here is what to know about community patrollers: Community Patrollers are trained by their local community policing officer (CPO) at each police station; They are expected to submit monthly reports to their CPFs on their activities, challenges and successes Community patrollers are prohibited from being in possession of a private firearm when performing their duties and may not be deployed with a firearm SAPS must accompany them on patrols They are trained to not engage armed criminals For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook , X or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The South African
an hour ago
- The South African
Molefe and Gama's arrests are ‘witch hunt', says MK
uMkhonto weSizwe (MK Party) has slammed the arrests of its members of parliament, Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama, calling it a political witch hunt. The pair, along with Anoj Singh and Thamsanqa Jiyane, were arrested in connection with the multibillion-rand Transnet corruption case. They face 18 charges including, fruad and corruption. MK Party national spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela accused authorities of using the arrests to intimidate and criminalise Black intellectuals associated with the party, rather than genuinely pursuing justice. Ndhlela said Molefe and Gama's arrests mirror the 'vilification' of party president Jacob Zuma. He claims Zuma remains a target for the 'captured' justice system. Ndhlela described the country's justice system as a two-tiered structure that favours the elite and politically connected. In a statement, the MK Party accused the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of operating under external political influence. Ndhlela stated that the party has consistently called for accountability in state-owned enterprises and institutions such as the NPA. 'It is clear that when the MK Party raises legitimate questions about institutional bias and political capture, the response is swift and punitive. This is not justice; it is a witch-hunt,' said Ndhlela. The party called for citizens and civil society organisations to reject what it called 'selective justice' and restore integrity to institutions. The Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crime Court granted bail of R50 000 each to the Molefe and the three other former Transnet executives. The court postponed the matter to Monday, 6 October for further investigations. Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) spokesperson Henry Mamothame said the case shows that services were misused and billions of rands were made without being used for the rail modernisation project. He said the arrests show how people in trusted and powerful positions got involved in corruption to benefit themselves instead of helping the country and its infrastructure. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
City's Sheriff responds to assassination claims by NCC leader Fadiel Adams
Fadiel Adams, leader of the National Coloured Congress, claims a conspiracy involving DA's JP Smith. Image: File Hours after National Coloured Congress (NCC) leader Fadiel Adams took to social media and hosted a press conference on claims that there was a plot allegedly conspired by mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith to assassinate him, the City's Sheriff said Smith has already approached his lawyer to open a civil and criminal case against Adams. 'He has approached his lawyer to initiate a civil and criminal case against Fadiel,' said the City on Monday via Smith. The Cape Argus approached the City for comment on the allegations made in the press conference. Adams went live on his Facebook page on Sunday where he claimed the DA ward councillor in Manenberg, Deidree de Vos, had allegedly warned him that there was a conspiracy to kill him. In a press statement released on Friday, Adams said the plot was reported to police weeks ago and he handed all evidence to them. Via his live post, he further claimed he had a recording of De Vos disclosing information to him and on Monday during the press conference held at Parliament, he played it for the media present. Adams also said he placed his family at a safehouse and that he was being targeted because he was rooting out corruption such as tender fraud and links to gangs. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading 'On May 30, 2025, I received a very disturbing phone call,' he said. 'The person on the other end of the line was a senior member of the Democratic Alliance and I am not happy about what I am about to do, but I do value my family more than my friends. 'The caller claimed that one JP Smith, mayco for Safety and Security, had deployed a new councillor in Manenberg, Deidree de Vos, she had been sent to approach a man named Faiek Moses. Faiek Moses was once upon a time a notorious member of the Hard Livings gang and as far as I know, he has turned his life around and he is a working man. 'He has small contracts and sub contracts in the Manenberg area and Deidree de Vos was told to tell him that JP Smith was about to terminate his membership as a DA member and his contract opportunities.' He said there was also a WhatsApp message from mayco member for Human Settlements, Carl Pophaim. 'They want Faiek to take Fadiel out,' the message said, as Adams read it out. 'They want Faiek to act like a gangster because I am threatening his income,' said Adams. Police have since said they are unable to comment on the matter. De Vos has also remained silent with a media response. Pophaim did not respond to Cape Argus as yet. Smith said it was a plot to slander him. 'It has come to my attention that more misinformation is once again being spread by the NCC and its relevance-starved leader, Fadiel Adams, in an utterly ridiculous attempt to tarnish my reputation, that of the Democratic Alliance, and the City of Cape Town. .'Their latest smear campaign is laughable at best. I strongly deny the allegations and condemn the dissemination of fake news. "I have engaged my lawyers and I will ensure appropriate legal action is taken against this continued slander. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
