By Thapelo Molefe
Gauteng police have made an arrest and initiated a widespread search for another suspect linked to the murder of Mpho Mafole, Chief Auditor of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.
Mafole was fatally shot in Kempton Park earlier this month.
Over the weekend, detectives from the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit apprehended a 40-year-old man connected to the case.
The suspect is scheduled to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
Authorities continued their hunt last night for a second suspect, Hlanganani Agripper Mncwango, following the issuance of an arrest warrant by the court.
Mafole’s investigations included a high-profile electricity billing scandal amounting to over R2 billion in irregularities.
He was also probing infrastructure projects in Germiston, where costs allegedly surged from R190 million to more than R300 million.
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi on Tuesday confirmed that the two suspects are believed to have been together on the day of the murder of Ekurhuleni Chief Auditor Mpho Mafole.
“There is some kind of linkage. Unfortunately, I cannot go into details, but they were all together on the day of the incident, as per the evidence that we currently have,” Nevhuhulwi said.
She added that Mafole’s family had been informed before the arrest was made public.
“It is procedural that whenever we arrest a suspect, especially in cases like this, the family is informed by the investigating officer. Not only when there is an arrest — it’s standard that the officer keeps the family updated on the progress of the case,” she said.
Mafole was gunned down earlier this month in what is believed to have been a drive-by ambush along the R23 near Esselen Park in Kempton Park.
He had been appointed just three months earlier as Ekurhuleni’s Group Divisional Head for Corporate and Forensic Audit.
Before that, he had spent 15 years at the Auditor-General’s office.
His killing sparked public outrage and raised fears that it may have been linked to the high-profile corruption investigations he was pursuing.
Ekurhuleni Executive Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza described Mafole at the time as a “dedicated public servant” and said his murder “may have been linked to the sensitive corruption probes he was pursuing.”
Nevhuhulwi confirmed that police are still following leads.
“We are urging Mncwango to hand himself over to the nearest police station, or for anyone who may have information about his whereabouts to contact the Crime Stop Line at 08600 10111, or anonymously via the MySAPS App,” she said.
A photo of Mncwango has been released to the public, and police said they hope to apprehend him soon. Members of the public can also contact the investigating officer directly — Captain Mondredi of the Serious and Violent Crime Unit — at 082 461 4794.
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