One of the firearms that shot and killed Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart was used in the attempted murder of taxi boss Joe Sibanyoni.
This information was revealed by Captain Meldon Mkhatshwa on Tuesday at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System.
The firearm in reference is a 9mm pistol. In addition to the pistol, an AK-47 assault rifle was used to murder Swart. The rifle is the same firearm that was used to kill famous musician and club owner Oupa John Sefoka, also known as DJ Sumbody, Hector Buthelezi, also known as DJ Vintos, and Don Tindleni.
Big Five member up for Dj murder
Controversial businessman Katiso Molefe, alleged to be a member of drug cartel known as the Big Five, is facing a murder charge relating to DJ Sumbody’s death.
Mkhatshwa was testifying physically during Tuesday’s proceedings at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria.
The commission is chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.
Mkhatshwa is a senior forensic analyst (ballistics) with the South African Police Service (SAPS) forensic science laboratory in Silverton, Pretoria.
He has also been deployed to the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) political killings task team.
His testimony was led by the commission’s chief evidence leader Adv Matthew Chaskalson SC.
Mkhatshwa said police confiscated the firearm from suspects in Bramley, Johannesburg. It was given to him for ballistic testing.
The firearm was confiscated from suspects who had just allegedly shot and killed Swart on April 17 2024.
Firearm links murders
Mkhatshwa said the firearm was linked to five other cases. These include Lyttleton CAS 175/8/2022, which is the case number of Sibanyoni’s shooting.
“In my capacity as a ballistics expert, I performed the comparative examination to determine whether exhibits from Bramley were ballistically linked to exhibits in five (5) case dockets… In my analysis, I found that the Bramley CAS 149/2024 (possession of firearm) linked with five case dockets…,” said Mkhatshwa.
The five case dockets were of three murder cases and two attempted murder cases.
Sibanyoni was shot at in August 2022 outside the Centurion Golf Estate in Centurion, Pretoria.
The state is expected to charge another alleged Big Five drug cartel member, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala (49). Also his wife Tsakani (36), two alleged hitmen Musa Kekana (35) and Tiego Floyd Mabusela (47), and Nthabiseng Nzama (23). Nthabiseng is the daughter of Mabusela. They are all charged with the attempted murder of Sibanyoni.
The five accused have been charged with the October 2023 attempted murder of Matlala’s ex-lover Tebogo Thobejane.
Tsakani and Nzama are out on R20, 000 and R10, 000 bail, respectively.
Killed in mistaken identity
Kekana, Mabusela and Matlala remain in police custody. Kekana and Mabusela abandoned their bail applications. Matlala was denied by the Johannesburg High Court on Monday.
Swart worked at Q Tech Engineering Company based in Vereeniging. He was shot and killed outside his workplace on April 17 2024.
He was killed when the alleged hitmen mistook him for another employee, who is a whistleblower.
Former SAPS detective Michael Pule Tau (55), Kekana, Mabusela and Molefe (61) have been formally charged with Swart’s murder.
Tau, Kekana and Mabusela are currently in police custody. Molefe was granted R100 000 bail in June by the Pretoria High Court. This was after appealing the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court decision that earlier denied him bail.
In July, Molefe was rearrested for the murder of DJ Sumbody.
Molefe was granted R400, 000 bail by the Johannesburg High Court on October 10. This followed his appeal against the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court decision to deny him bail in the case.
The commission resumes on Wednesday at 9.30am with the testimony of witnesses who arrested Molefe.
Visit SW YouTube Channel for our video content
