Law enforcement agencies in Mpumalanga have confirmed that the killing of Shangaan traditional leader Hosi Clyde Mnisi was the work of assassins, amid speculation in the province that it was connected to rhino poaching syndicates.
Those familiar with poaching circles that make millions through the slaughter of the endangered rhinos around the nearby Kruger National Park have alleged that Mnisi had taken over from the late Petros “Mshengu” Mabuza, the once-feared rhino poaching syndicate kingpin.
However, the 37-year-old chief was killed five months after he was crowned senior traditional leader of the Mnisi Traditional Council in Mkhuhlu outside the town of Hazyview. He was killed shortly before midnight on Sunday last week while travelling to the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport outside White River.
Mpumalanga provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said no one had been arrested since the ambush . “Chief Mnisi together with his driver were travelling in a Toyota Avanza when they had a puncture.
“While waiting for assistance it is alleged that a group of about five heavily armed men wearing balaclavas and gloves came in a BMW X5.
“They then alighted from the vehicle with high-calibre rifles and went straight to the passenger side where the chief was sitting. It is further reported that they then uttered some words to the chief before they began shooting,” Mohlala said.
“The chief sustained multiple gunshot wounds and unfortunately succumbed to his injuries. Thereafter the suspects reportedly fled the scene in their BMW. His driver sustained some injuries on the leg after being shot during this incident, however, he survived to tell the tale.”
When Sunday World asked Mohlala whether they ruled out an assassination, he said the killers left enough clues behind.
“The way they took their time in following the chief and his driver shows that all they wanted was to take his life.”
Mohlala said had it been a robbery, the vehicle or other valuable items would have been taken.
Hawks provincial spokesperson Captain Dineo Sekgotodi confirmed Mnisi was facing charges of theft, conspiracy to commit a crime, the illegal buying and selling of rhino horn, corruption, and money laundering dating back to 2018.
Sekgotodi said the traditional leader was part of a group of suspects under investigation by top poaching detective Lieutenant Colonel Leroy Bruwer, who was gunned down while driving to work in Mbombela in May 2020.
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