Assassination!
Mafia… Italy?
No, South Africa 2025.
Middelburg 2024 and 2025.
March 6, 2024.
Sibongakonke (Konke) Sylvester Zwane (39) was driving down Wes Street in his Volkswagen Amarok late in the afternoon when a vehicle suddenly appeared behind him.
A man hung out of a window like a true Italian mafia gangster.

Several shots hit the Amarok.

Mr Zwane, the general manager of Zwane Inspections, tried to get away from his attackers.
He turned right into Beyers Naude Street.
The Amarok came to a stop at the slipway to the underground parking of Wonderpark Spar.
Despite medical attention, he died moments later in the hospital.
An assassination on a quiet street in Middelburg.
Mashoza Malaza’s assassins wanted to make sure he died.
He was shot, and his house was set on fire.

An attack he survived

When the Middelburg Observer interviewed him at his home in Aerorand, one of his hands was still heavily bandaged.
The reasons for the attacks were due to multi-million rand mining contracts.
Mr Malaza was the owner of UMI Plant Hire, which won a contract with Exxaro in 2021.
While he was in Phumula, Mhluzi, on February 2, at 22:10, he was shot seven times in front of several bystanders.
Police later found 11 spent cartridges from a 9mm handgun at the scene.

Carte Blanche debate

On Sunday evening, a panel on Carte Blanche debated whether South Africa is a mafia state.
The panel discussion follows the assassination of Witness D, which sent shock waves through the country.
Marius (Vlam) van der Merwe was Witness D, who testified before the Madlanga Commission and paid with his life.
He was shot with an AK-47 assault rifle at his home in Brakpan in front of his wife and children.

The list of assassination victims is long

These are well-known names.
There are law enforcement officers who fought for justice.
Whistleblowers.
Businessmen.
Municipal workers…

• Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear: Section commander in the South African Police Anti-Gang Unit.
  
• Babita Deokaran: Acting financial officer at the Gauteng Department of Health.
  
• David Khanda: Centlec employee, ‘intervention unit’.
  
• Ayob Mungalee: Anti-gang and anti-drug activist.
  
• Cloete Murray: Liquidator in high-profile state capture matters.
  
• Thomas Murray: Legal advisor and son of Cloete.
  
• Zanele Nkosi: Rustenburg attorney and chairperson of the North West Black Lawyers Association.
  
• Loyiso Nkohla: Prominent community activist.
  
• Lieutenant-Colonel Frans Mathipa: Investigating the role of the South African National Defence Force Special Forces members in an abduction.
  
• Simnikwe Mapini: Adjudicator and a member of the Bid Evaluation Committee in the City of Ekurhuleni.
  
• Andries Mgoqi: Former Centlec/municipal figure and former CEO of Centlec.
  
• Armand Swart: Engineer at Q-Tech. The intended target was a colleague who acted as a whistleblower.
  
• Luzuko Ntlabezo: Engineer and the general manager for water and sanitation in the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality’s Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.
  
• Mpho Mafole: The City of Ekurhuleni’s group division head of corporate and forensic audits.
  
• Tracy Brown: Regional court prosecutor for the National Prosecuting Authority.
  
• Sarel May: Health and safety manager for Centlec, the power utility for the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality.
  
• Bouwer van Niekerk: Johannesburg insolvency attorney.

South Africa a mafia state?

Enquiries have been sent to the South African Police as to whether any progress is being made in the investigation into the murders of Mashoza Malaza and Konke Zwane, but no response has been received yet. This will be updated later.