Top Umhlali detective on a mission to put criminals away

An inquiring mind and a passion for ridding the community of crime is an Umhlali detective’s recipe for convictions.

Detective Goodenough Mfeka has lived up to his name – gaining a reputation for producing concrete evidence in court, ensuring that almost all of the criminals in his cases are convicted.

The 42-year-old man who deals specifically with murder, attempted murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, said the detective’s investigation could either make or break a case which at first, seems like a puzzle with many missing pieces.

“Criminals get off with light sentences or they walk free because of poorly conducted investigations and that is unfair to affected families and the community,” said Mfeka.

“It is my job to get to the bottom of what really happened and because most of my cases are murders, the main witness is dead.”

This means starting right at the beginning for Mfeka and practically reliving and recreating the crime.

“First and foremost, the evidence is gathered at the scene and witnesses are found via informers and community policing forums.

“They often have to be convinced to testify and I do this by making them understand the seriousness of the situation which is not always easy, as in some murder cases, suspects are repeat offenders and witnesses fear for their lives.”

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Mfeka said the entire case rests on the investigation and depending on the case, it could take up to three months.

“The trick is to keep pushing when you think you have hit a brick wall, because no crime can be completely unsolvable.”

Mfeka has been in the force for 14 years and transferred from Tongaat to Umhlali SAPS in 2010.

He investigates hundreds of dockets a year and in this year alone had five maximum sentence convictions while his remaining cases are currently under investigation or in court.

For him, being a detective is a full-time job that often sees him risking his own life to find out the truth.

“While we put criminals away, their families and friends are left with a grudge and the detective becomes the target because we are known as the face of the investigation. Often witnesses cannot be found during the day because they are at work, so most leads are investigated after hours.

“You go in with no protection and you do not know if you are being followed. But I took an oath to serve and protect and I will do so, even if it costs me my life.”

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