SA: Gutsy crime-fighter assassinated before she
could testify at corrupt cops' trial
Date
Posted: Monday 21-Jan-2008
'Sowetan'
daily newspaper journalist Russel Morena reports on 21 January 2008 that Mrs
Lindiwe Mthembu, a Johannesburg woman who was one of three key witnesses in the
corruption trial of two Booysens policemen, was killed in the stairwell of her
apartment building Thursday-night.
http://www.sowetan.co.za/thumbnail.aspx?type=...
Ms Mthembu, 37, was killed assassination style, with several shots.
Nothing was robbed. Moreover, her bloodied body remained in the heavily-used stairwell for at least four hours... with the crime scene unguarded by police.
The lift in the building is broken and everyone has to take the stairs - thus people were forced to step over the woman's bloodied body. This of course created serious contamination of the crime scene, making it even harder to find the assassins.
Mthembu’s husband, Petros -- who was at church at the time of the shooting -- was deeply shocked, saying that the police only came to collect her body at 10.30pm -- she was shot at about 6pm, tenants said.
He said that shortly before she was murdered, she was repeatedly threatened, warning her not to testify.
Two other witnesses have since gone into hiding in fear of their safety after receiving death threats a day after the murder, on Friday, said Petros.
Police captain Bheki Mavundla said police were investigating the murder.
Mrs Mthembu was a courageous crime-fighter in her community of impoverished flat-dwellers. She was all set to testify against Booysens police inspectors Sean Thwala and Telo Mota.
They were charged with corruption, theft, fraud, extortion, intimidation and defeating the ends of justice, said Superintendent Gregory Beck of the Booysens police. The two men were arrested in September 2006.
LIFTS NOT WORKING:
A tenant, who did not want to be named, said: “I heard gunshots at about 6pm. When I went outside to check, people were screaming between the 7th and 8th floors.”
Security guards at the building said they "had not noticed anything suspicious."
“The gunman may have been seen by some tenants in the building. There are always people walking up and down the stairs because the lifts are not working. Maybe they are afraid to talk,” said another tenant.
“ The police will get to the bottom of this. We have more witnesses who are willing to testify against the two cops,” Superintendent Beck said.
http://www.sowetan.co.za/thumbnail.aspx?type=...
Ms Mthembu, 37, was killed assassination style, with several shots.
Nothing was robbed. Moreover, her bloodied body remained in the heavily-used stairwell for at least four hours... with the crime scene unguarded by police.
The lift in the building is broken and everyone has to take the stairs - thus people were forced to step over the woman's bloodied body. This of course created serious contamination of the crime scene, making it even harder to find the assassins.
Mthembu’s husband, Petros -- who was at church at the time of the shooting -- was deeply shocked, saying that the police only came to collect her body at 10.30pm -- she was shot at about 6pm, tenants said.
He said that shortly before she was murdered, she was repeatedly threatened, warning her not to testify.
Two other witnesses have since gone into hiding in fear of their safety after receiving death threats a day after the murder, on Friday, said Petros.
Police captain Bheki Mavundla said police were investigating the murder.
Mrs Mthembu was a courageous crime-fighter in her community of impoverished flat-dwellers. She was all set to testify against Booysens police inspectors Sean Thwala and Telo Mota.
They were charged with corruption, theft, fraud, extortion, intimidation and defeating the ends of justice, said Superintendent Gregory Beck of the Booysens police. The two men were arrested in September 2006.
LIFTS NOT WORKING:
A tenant, who did not want to be named, said: “I heard gunshots at about 6pm. When I went outside to check, people were screaming between the 7th and 8th floors.”
Security guards at the building said they "had not noticed anything suspicious."
“The gunman may have been seen by some tenants in the building. There are always people walking up and down the stairs because the lifts are not working. Maybe they are afraid to talk,” said another tenant.
“ The police will get to the bottom of this. We have more witnesses who are willing to testify against the two cops,” Superintendent Beck said.
Source
Url: http://www.sowetan.co.za/thumbnail.aspx?type=mm&id=62640
Posted By: Adriana
Adriana Stuijt Websites: CensorBugBear
Posted By: Adriana
Adriana Stuijt Websites: CensorBugBear
http://www.africancrisis.org/Article.php?ID=21668&
