The family of the late Independent Police Investigative Directorate investigator Mandla Mahlangu is living in fear after intruders returned to his farm where he was murdered in March.
Mahlangu’s nephew, Xolani, told City Press that two men entered the premises after jumping the fence last weekend.
“They were interrupted by security guards, who called for backup, but they managed to escape,” he said.
Xolani said the family suspected that those who ordered the hit on his uncle could have been involved in the second incident.
“Maybe they came back to kill some of the witnesses who could testify against the arrested suspects.
“We have requested that all the witnesses be placed under witness protection,” he said.
Last month, City Press reported that a hitman alleged that the assassination of the police watchdog investigator at his farm in the east of Pretoria was ordered and paid for by the police.
Shortly after the publication, the Hawks launched an internal investigation on how the confession of the suspects ended up in the possession of City Press.
Mahlangu was shot and killed in a suspected hit disguised as an armed robbery.
His killers fled with a fridge and his NP200 Nissan bakkie.
City Press has learnt from at least three sources privy to the investigation that more arrests, including those of the police who allegedly ordered the hit, are imminent.
Before his death, Mahlangu investigated high-profile cases against several police officers, including the one involving suspended acting police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane, and was due to testify in an internal crime intelligence inquiry into an alleged jobs-for-favours scheme within the police service.
Last month, the Gauteng Provincial Investigative Unit, along with the Hawks, made a breakthrough when it arrested a suspected hitman in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, for a taxi-related murder.
City Press has obtained a copy of the signed confession statement, in which the suspect revealed that he and three of his accomplices were paid R50 000.
After his interrogation, police discovered that the man they had arrested was linked to Mahlangu’s murder.
“The suspect revealed some of his accomplices in the Vosloorus murder case. He also revealed other crimes that he and his accomplices committed,” said one security cluster source privy to the details of the investigation.
“The suspect has already made a confession and has been cooperating with the police, also pointing out crime scenes.
“This investigation is at an advanced stage, but there have been attempts to scupper the inquiry. Everyone has been warned to be tight-lipped about the details of the case,” the source revealed.
Abram MashegoSenior journalist | City Press | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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City Press is an agenda-setting South African news brand that publishes across platforms. Its flagship print edition is distributed on a Sunday. |