Ex-cop killed
He was dressed in only his underwear and a blood-soaked T-shirt. His head was covered in blood.
LYDENBURG – The SAPS are on a manhunt after a former police officer was found murdered in his private vehicle.
Joseph Mathebula’s lifeless body was discovered Tuesday in an open field next to Extension 2. He had apparently been bludgeoned to death.
Workers performing maintenance on roads behind Extension 2 noticed Mathebula’s Nissan bakkie early Tuesday morning. When they returned in the afternoon, the bakkie was still at the same spot and they grew suspicious. They went to investigate and saw his body inside.
They immediately phoned fire chief Deon Broekman. He, in turn, alerted the SAPS to the discovery.
Upon Steelburger/Lydenburg News’ arrival, Mathebula’s body was still in the vehicle. He was dressed in only his underwear and a blood-soaked T-shirt. His head was covered in blood. He also had grass-burn wounds on his torso, indicating that he might have been dragged or pulled.
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Netcare 911 was called and paramedic André Denysschen declared him dead on the scene. Officers attending to the scene speculated that the body was dumped in the car after he had been killed elsewhere.
Officers made mention of another track caused by a bigger bakkie or SUV next to Mathebula’s Corsa. One noticed that the tracks grew wider, which would suggest a quick getaway from the scene. It is at this stage not clear how many suspects were involved in the murder.
Strict protocol was followed for the gathering of evidence at the scene.
Capt Alfred Moela, communications officer at Lydenburg SAPS said on Wednesday no arrests have been made yet. “The postmortem will shed light on the exact cause of death. We appeal for assistance from the community with any information. A reward will also be issued for information leading to a successful arrest.”
Moela emphasised that police stronglycondemn this crime. “People are behaving like animals. This is not a way to resolve any disputes. We will ensure that justice is served.”
Mathebula was one of nine K9 officers arrested by the Hawks in 2015. Their charges included corruption, defeating the ends of justice, conspiracy to commit a crime, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and kidnapping.
The officers allegedly stopped a car and upon searching it they found illicit cigarettes and R510 000 cash. They locked the suspects in the back of the police van‚ drove to the industrial area where they took R50 000 of the confiscated cash and gave the rest to the owners‚ who refused to take the money and then later alerted the Hawks about the incident.
They were subsequently dismissed from their positions. They appealed the dismissal, but the appeal committee agreed with the findings of the dismissal. They were still awaiting the conclusion of an arbitrary appeal they had lodged. Moela said police could not speculate whether the murder had any connection to the dismissal of Mathebula and other officers.
