The family of Namhla Mtwa, who was killed in her driveway three years ago, are concerned that no one has been arrested.
They are also worried about the controversy surrounding the investigation which has emerged in the Madlanga commission.
The family want the police docket for the murder investigation be sent back to the national office, and they don’t want any Eastern Cape investigators involved in it.
Mtwa was shot nine times in Mthatha on April 21 2022 as she arrived home from work. It was alleged at the time that Mtwa had been in an abusive relationship.
Her killing made headlines across SA. There was a protest march in the city and outraged calls nationwide for justice and accountability, particularly concerning gender-based violence and alleged police incompetence and interference.
Since the slaying, the docket has changed hands many times, having moved from Mthatha to the national headquarters and then to the Political Killings Task Team in KwaZulu-Natal. Now it is back in the Eastern Cape.
The Madlanga commission was told that Mtwa’s murder file was one of 121 PKTT dockets transferred from KwaZulu-Natal to national police headquarters, where they lay untouched for several months.
Mtwa’s brother, Siyambonga, said it was shocking that so many people had been involved in the matter, and the family did not know who to trust.
“All we want is that the docket regarding the brutal murder of our sister be sent back to the SAPS national office and be investigated there until finality.
“The Eastern Cape has failed the family dismally.
“We have no confidence in them. We trust no one within the province.
“We have been told some crucial documents went missing while the docket was in the Eastern Cape and so it was moved to the national office. We learn with shock it was then sent back to the Eastern Cape.”
Police had not treated the matter sensitively, he added.
“All along senior police officers — some with ranks of generals and brigadiers — have promised us imminent arrests, saying investigations have been completed. But it is now three years since the murder of our sister and no arrest has been effected.
“We do not know if the killer is part of the cartel being investigated by the Madlanga commission.
“If not, while the likes of [now suspended deputy national police commissioner] General Shadrack Sibiya have shown more interest in this case and even ordered that it be moved to him on the verge of an arrest, have we heard allegations in the commission?” Siyambonga asked.
Provincial police spokesperson W/O Majola Nkohli confirmed the docket was in the provincial office.
“But the Mtwa family is hell-bent on getting the docket taken to the national office, and they have stated categorically that they will not co-operate with us.”
Testifying at the commission, the national component head for serious & violent crime, Maj-Gen Mary Motsepe, said Mtwa’s case was investigated by her office initially and they were in the process of preparing to arrest suspects when the case was taken to the PKTT in October 2023.
“General [Dumisani] Khumalo explained to the sister of the deceased that they had identified the motive and they were supposed to go through with the takedown of the suspects.”
But before any arrests could take place, legal manoeuvres derailed the operation.
“The target applied for an interdict against the investigation, and it was dismissed this year in January.
“When they were supposed to do the takedown, he interdicted again.
“The docket was recalled by the suspended police deputy commissioner, Shadrack Sibiya.”
Motsepe said she no longer knew the status of the case.
She also revealed that three alleged hitmen linked to the matter had been killed, though she did not disclose further details.
The stalled investigations form part of a broader controversy surrounding the handling of PKTT cases.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-GenNhlanhla Mkhwanazi has previously accused senior officials of removing the dockets from the province, only for them to gather dust in Sibiya’s office.
Motsepe confirmed Mtwa’s docket was one of the 121 PKTT dockets left untouched in Pretoria for about three months.
