Africa-Press – South-Africa. National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola says the killers of award-winning rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane are “known”.
“… we know who we are looking for. It is a matter of rounding [up] all of them,” he said during a media briefing on Friday.
“We can assure you that we know where we are going [with our investigation].”
Forbes and Motsoane died outside a Durban restaurant on Florida Road on 10 February.
CCTV footage shows Forbes hugging Motsoane outside the establishment. Moments later, a gunman walks from the side of a vehicle parked outside the restaurant and shoots at the rapper and his friend as bystanders scatter.
The gunman and another suspect are then seen fleeing the scene on foot.
Masemola’s briefing was focused on the successes of his recently launched Operation Shanela, which was started following continued analysis of crime patterns and emerging crime threats.
The project will see all provincial commissioners and senior management participating in weekly high-density crime prevention and combatting operations.
“Operation Shanela comprises regular stop and searches, vehicle checkpoints, roadblocks, cordon and searches, high visibility patrols including foot patrols, the tracing of wanted suspects with a focus on the apprehension of murder and rape suspects, compliance inspections at liquor outlets and second-hand goods dealers.”
Masemola said that since the operation’s inception, 21 200 suspects were arrested for crimes including murder, rape and malicious damage to property.
Meanwhile, Masemola responded to the appeal launched by Dr Nandipha Magudumana following the dismissal of her urgent application in the Bloemfontein High Court this week.
Masemola said Magudumana and convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester were not arrested by the SAPS in Tanzania, but by that country’s authorities.
Her legal team claimed compelling reasons would warrant the High Court granting her leave to appeal its ruling against her in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).
Magudumana approached the court claiming that her deportation from Tanzania, where she was tracked and “deported” to South Africa on 13 April, was unlawful.
Judge Phillip Loubser found against Magudumana because she had willingly left the country with Bester.
He found that the “deportation” was, in fact, a “disguised extradition”, however he ruled against Magudumana because she had willingly consented to leave the country with Bester.
More arrests
Masemola said there were no new arrests in the Bester matter.
“We are investigating the case. We would expect to have further arrests in the matter. There are a lot of people that were involved in the case. It is quite a wide investigation. We are busy with that.”
“Magumana has the right to appeal… Indeed, we are prepared to defend our case. We think what the Department of Home Affairs did in bringing them back into the country (was legal).”
He insisted there was “no illegality in the role played by all government departments”.
“She was never arrested in Tanzania. She was only arrested in South Africa. As the SAPS, we were never involved in transporting and receiving (her and) Thabo Bester. It was the Tanzanian authorities that declared them prohibited in their country. The Tanzanian authorities used their laws to deport them back to their country, South Africa.
“They were received by those responsible for our country’s population register, the Home Affairs. When we investigate, investigations will lead us where to go. We will go whether it would lead us to a lower or higher position. Be assured we will go full out to follow our investigation. If we have a lead to a higher position, we welcome that and will follow that lead,” Masemola said.
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