A prominent anti-crime activist and researcher has warned that the life of one of the investigators in the Senzo Meyiwa trial “remains in great danger” and that several other people linked to the case have died mysteriously as part of a “high-level cover-up”.
Mary de Haas has written to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), accusing them of failing to act on damning
evidence in the murder case.
“People who knew too much about the real killers of Senzo Meyiwa, and the cover-ups taking place, have already died,” De Haas wrote in one of the two letters seen by Sunday World.
The letters were addressed to the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv
Shamila Batohi and Hawks head Gen Godfrey Lebeya.
In the letters, De Haas, a UKZN Honorary Research Fellow, demands immediate intervention to prevent further loss of life in what she describes as a high-level cover-up.
De Haas, who has monitored political violence and police conduct for over 30 years, lambasted the NPA’s refusal to prosecute the contentious second docket, CAS 375/01/2019.
The docket implicates individuals who were in the house when the former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper was shot dead at the home of his girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo, in October 2014.
Five men are currently on trial in connection with Meyiwa’s murder.
“It is most unfortunate that you, as National Director of Public Prosecutions, felt it was not necessary to investigate why the decision to prosecute the second docket had been overturned, and to allow this current prosecution to proceed,” she wrote to Batohi in a letter dated January 13, 2025.
She said the abandonment of the case had endangered the life of lead investigator
Warrant Officer Meshack Makhubo, who she said had compiled a solid case against the individuals present at the scene of the murder.
The letter warns that Makhubo’s life is in grave danger because of his role in uncovering inconsistencies in witness testimonies in the ongoing trial.
De Haas claims in the letter that a neighbour of the Meyiwa family died from alleged
poisoning, and that a retired senior police officer was killed in the same manner.
She further alleged that the police officer’s wife was later shot dead.
Another police officer who tried to distance himself from the matter, said De Haas, died in a suspicious car crash after the brakes of his SAPS vehicle were allegedly tampered with.
She further alleges that defence attorney Adv Thulani Mngomezulu, who had been assisting in the case, fell mysteriously ill and died shortly after his dog was poisoned.
De Haas said the NPA’s refusal to probe these matters had left Makhubo exposed, despite a threat assessment being conducted last year.
“The biggest threats to his life unfortunately emanate from within the SAPS itself,” she warned.
In her letter to Batohi, De Haas claimed that her concerns were violently confirmed on January 9, when armed attackers stormed Makhubo’s home in what she described as an assassination attempt.
She said that Makhubo was not at home at the time, but his son narrowly escaped death after pressing the panic button. The attackers fled in a Toyota Corolla before police arrived.
De Haas questioned why the police failed to collect fingerprints at the crime scene, suggesting a deliberate effort to sabotage the investigation.
She also accused the NPA of complicity in suppressing key evidence.
“It is on record that Adv. Nzuke had confirmed to Makhubo that the second docket case was strong enough for prosecution to proceed.”
However, this decision was allegedly overruled by Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions Adv Andrew Chauke, following alleged interference by then national police commissioner Khehla Sitole.
De Haas said Chauke’s intervention had not only derailed justice but led to the malicious prosecution of Makhubo, who was charged under a separate case to discredit him.
In a second letter, dated February 24, 2025, De Haas appealed to Hawks boss Gen
Lebeya to intervene urgently.
“Please advise what assistance will be provided to Warrant Officer Makhubo to try to ensure (1) his safety, especially if he has to testify in court in the Meyiwa case, and (2) a full investigation by experienced members on the onslaught on his home,” she wrote.
“There is clearly a continuing desperate attempt to cover for the real killers, which may lead to further deaths, especially that of Warrant Officer Makhubo,” she warned.
Hawks national spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo confirmed that De Haas asked for intervention from Lebeya but said they could not publicly comment on the matter.
The NPA’s Mthunzi Mhaga did not respond to Sunday World’s inquiry.
