A decade after the fatal shootings of a municipal speaker and a provincial spokesperson, detectives in Mpumalanga have to provide feedback on the status of these dormant files. The widows, seeking long-awaited closure, are now prepared to take legal action against the police if evidence of docket tampering surfaces, reports Mpumalanga News.

The widows, Bonny Mohlala and Pinky Mpatlanyane, were assisted by the South African Communist Party (SACP) following recent allegations of police interference made by suspended Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela.

Manamela made the damning allegations against senior police officials in the province during a press briefing in Mbombela on April 19.

Manamela’s allegations

Among her claims, Manamela alleged that retired Mpumalanga deputy police commissioner Major General Botsotso Moukangwe confessed that he and national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola received R5m from Kaizer Chiefs boss Bobby Motaung.

According to Manamela, this money was a bribe in exchange for making sure that she did not return from suspension, as she would reopen investigations into high-profile cases.

Moukangwe dismissed the allegations, saying he was not even in Mpumalanga when Mohlala and Mpatlanyane were murdered.

“I was working in Pretoria at the time, so these allegations are definitely far-fetched. She [Manamela] must produce proof to her allegations. I have already instituted a lawsuit against her because of her lies,” said Moukangwe.

Meanwhile, the Hawks arrested Motaung in August 2012 following fraud and forgery allegations linked to the construction of the 2010 Fifa World Cup Mbombela Stadium. Motaung was alleged to have used a fraudulent tax clearance certificate to secure a tender, though the court case was later abandoned.

Manamela insisted that Motaung’s charges were directly linked with Mohlala’s murder. Mohlala was gunned down at his KaNyamazane home on January 3, 2009, after speaking out about alleged corruption in the stadium project. At the time, he was the speaker for Mbombela.

Mpatlanyane – then head of communications for the provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation – was shot dead in his house at Stonehenge during the night of January 8, 2010.

The Madlanga Commission

Manamela’s allegations triggered calls for top-level investigations, including that they be escalated to the ongoing Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, known as the Madlanga Commission.

It was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa following a briefing by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, which pointed to high-level corruption within the justice clusters.

Subsequently, the Madlanga Commission urged Manamela to submit a sworn affidavit and supporting evidence for her corruption claims.

SACP press briefing

The SACP held its own press briefing on April 30 and invited the widows to attend.

“We saw it important to invite the two widows because, during her briefing, Manamela detailed repeated interference, manipulation of dockets, and the protection of criminal syndicates,” said the party’s provincial secretary, Lucky Mbuyane. “The killings of Jimmy and Sammy have become cold cases.”

Reopening of the cold cases

After the briefing, the SACP accompanied the widows to the Nelspruit Police Station to reopen the cases. Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli confirmed the families were at the station, adding that detectives would provide feedback soon.

Bonny Mohlala welcomed the prospect of a new investigation. “It just can’t be that a case of this magnitude can just disappear. It has to be investigated from scratch so that we can find closure.”

Pinky Mpatlanyane said her family is praying for a clinical and authentic investigation. “We are waiting to hear about the signed affidavit of Lieutenant General Manamela to the Madlanga Commission. If she still alleges that there was interference with the dockets by SAPS officials, we will definitely open a case against the police.”