Breakthrough arrests in Winterveldt murder of sergeant lured by fake advert
Breakthrough arrests have been made in the 2023 ambush, where Sergeant Vusi Vilakazi was killed after being lured through a fake online car advert.
The long arm of the law is finally closing in on suspects linked to the brutal murder of a sergeant who was gunned down in Winterveldt in 2023, after being lured by a fake online advert using the Facebook Marketplace platform.
Two men accused of killing Sergeant Vusi Enock Vilakazi are set to appear before the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court on September 11.
Vilakazi, who was stationed at Carletonville’s Visible Policing Unit, was targeted on March 4, 2023, while responding to what he thought was a legitimate car deal.
He and three friends had travelled to Winterveldt, Mabopane, after responding to an advert for a VW Polo on Facebook.
At the time, according to Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd Ramovha, the group was ambushed on arrival.
Vilakazi was shot, his official firearm stolen, and his friends robbed of their cellphones. He was rushed to Kgabo Clinic but succumbed to his injuries shortly afterwards.
However, breakthrough arrests by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit have revived hope for justice.
Ramovha said on February 8, 2025, the 25-year-old Kamogelo George Rathabeng from Mataboge Stand, Mabopane, was arrested in possession of Vilakazi’s stolen service pistol.
He was positively identified by eyewitnesses at the scene. Rathabeng was subsequently charged and appeared in the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court on February 24, where he was denied bail.
“A second breakthrough came months later, on August 19, when investigators received information about a suspect already in custody on another matter.
“The 26-year-old, Mulalo Lovert Ndou, was positively linked to Vilakazi’s murder and arrested on September 4.”
Ndou made his first appearance the following day at the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court. His case was postponed to September 11, to allow him to appear alongside Rathabeng.
The police believe the murder was part of a wider trend in which criminals use online platforms like Facebook Marketplace to lure unsuspecting buyers into dangerous traps, and then rob them.
The Hawks have confirmed that investigations are ongoing, as more suspects could still be linked to the crime.
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