A joint operation between police in Gauteng and KZN has led to the arrest of a suspect wanted for the murder of Gauteng businessman and whistleblower Marumo Eric Phenya, almost four years after the killing.

The arrest was confirmed in a statement issued by the police.

According to the statement, Minenhle Mthembu (30) was arrested in Mtubatuba on Tuesday, February 10, after intelligence suggested he was hiding in the area. He is wanted on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with Phenya’s death in Roodepoort in October 2022.

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As previously reported by the Roodepoort Northsider, Phenya was shot and killed on October 17, 2022, shortly after dropping his children off at school. He was driving a white Land Rover when he was ambushed at a traffic light along Handicap Road near Hendrik Potgieter Road. Two suspects allegedly opened fire on his vehicle.

Despite being critically wounded, Phenya managed to drive a short distance before the vehicle came to a stop. He died at the scene.

Earlier reports indicated that the murder appeared to be a targeted hit rather than a robbery.

Police at the time said the shooting was carried out with precision and that the suspects fled immediately after the attack.

Also read: UPDATE: Police release details after Ruimsig businessman killed on Handicap Road

In the latest statement, police confirmed that Phenya and his wife had received threatening messages prior to the murder.

The threats were reportedly linked to his role as a whistleblower in an alleged multi-million-rand government tender corruption matter in Gauteng. A case relating to the threats had been opened weeks before his death.

Police said Gauteng investigators later received information that the suspect had fled to KZN and alerted their counterparts in that province. KZN police management assembled a multidisciplinary team, which gathered intelligence on February 6 that led officers to Mtubatuba.

Mthembu briefly appeared in the Mtubatuba Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, February 12. He was subsequently handed over to Gauteng investigators to face the charges against him.

KZN Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi praised the co-operation between police in the two provinces, saying the collaboration had brought relief to the murdered whistleblower’s family. He also urged communities not to harbour criminals and to provide information to police to help remove dangerous offenders from society.