Four members of the Newcastle Community Policing Forum (CPF), including chairperson Ismaeel Dhalech, appeared in the Newcastle Magistrate’s Court yesterday, for the first time after being arrested in connection with a murder.

Dhalech, alongside co-accused Ebrahim Adams, Mahomed Ashraf, and Yaseen Mohamed, faces charges related to the death of Khulekani Hlatshwayo (26), who was allegedly brutally beaten on December 24, 2022, and succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital the following day.

Witnesses report that the assault took place after CPF members, along with other crime-fighting organisations and residents, responded to a burglary in progress and found Hlatshwayo on the roof of a house. Describing the severity of Hlatshwayo’s injuries, investigation officer Detective Warrant Officer Henning de Meyer revealed that there were more than a hundred lacerations on his body, with no unmarked area.

CPF deputy secretary Belinda Ellor stated that the organisation would issue a full statement soon.

Dhalech and his co-accused are scheduled to apply for bail in the Newcastle Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.