Alleged murderer may be part of a syndicate
Syndicate allegedly to blame for the murder of a doctor in May.
A man that was arrested in connection with the murder of a doctor appeared in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on Friday to apply for bail. The bail application was postponed until August.
The 48-year-old man was arrested for the murder of Dr. Erton Kafautamva who was apparently followed and shot after withdrawing a large amount of cash from a bank in Pretoria North.
The incident took place on Tuesday, 6 May when three suspects followed Kafautamva from the bank and stopped behind him and blocked his vehicle after he stopped at a local business about two blocks from the bank.
According to the investigating officer, the three suspects jumped out of a silver VW Polo and held Kafautamva at gunpoint. “The suspects forced the victim into their vehicle and drove off.”
According to the evidence, the robbers took the R100 000 that Kafautamva had withdrawn, shot him and threw him out of the vehicle and drove off.
The suspect was caught on 12 May in Thembisa.
Kafautamva, a Malawi citizen, was a radiographer at the Dr George Mukhari Hospital.
According to the investigating officer, who is also part of a special task force that is busy investigating similar incidents, it appears as if there is a syndicate that are spying on people in banks throughout Gauteng.
The officer said that the syndicate was known as The Planes, due to the fact that they watch their victims like airplanes high up in the sky, and allegedly has more than 200 workers scouting for people withdrawing large amounts of cash.
The officer said the syndicate members were very dangerous and they would not hesitate to kill for the smallest amounts of cash.
The daughter of Kafautamva, Felinet, was in court on Friday and kept her gaze on the suspect as he walked from the cells to the court bench.
The suspect’s bail application was postponed till 14 August while the defense awaits the National Prosecuting Authority’s permission to centralise the three other cases against the suspect so that it can all be heard in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court.
