Police spent years funding special task teams to investigate a spate of murders linked to Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), SA’s biggest mineral sands producer, but failed to crack the cases, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has testified.
Testifying for a third day on Friday at the Madlanga commission of inquiry into criminality in the justice system, Mkhwanazi gave the public a glimpse into SAPS plans to solve a series of murders at the mine that took place in 2016-24, placing the multibillion-rand company’s security on shaky grounds.
The company’s GM Nico Swart was assassinated in May 2021 and his chilling murder dominated news headlines and put SAPS management in the hot seat.
Mkhwanazi said in 2021 he deployed a special team to investigate the RBM murders, but withdrew it after a year, in 2022, after it failed to deliver murder convictions.
“There were about five case dockets. The team stayed in Richards Bay for the whole 12 months. In that period, they could not crack the cases, though they did arrest one person who was linked to the murder of an RBM executive,” he said.
The suspect was killed after being released on bail.
“As soon as he left our facilities, they killed him. He was the link to take us higher in the ranks to who would have sent him,” Mkhwanazi said.
“When a criminal or hitman is involved, someone is going to pay lawyers to make sure the person gets out on bail. I think these are some of the weaknesses in our system. We do not ask questions about how an unemployed person can afford a very expensive counsel on a bail application.”
While the team had a low arrest rate in the murder cases, they succeeded in theft cases and saved the mine millions.
“They ended up having success with RBM that had nothing to do with what they were sent there for. They became like a police unit for RBM.”
Mkhwanazi said when he withdrew the team in 2022 his boss, national commissioner Fannie Masemola, called him and ordered him to redeploy the team to RBM.
“Little did I know this RBM has contacts at a higher level of our government. The commissioner [Masemola] said he received a complaint from the presidency [about the withdrawal],” he said.
The team was sent to join the special task force team and national intervention unit, which was deployed by SAPS head office, to investigate the RBM murders.
“The task force and the NIU are the fighting squad of the police. RBM had the privilege of getting an SAPS deployment to service only them, which was funded by the national office.
“I am sure the management of the police will come and explain what informed that decision.”
Police records show the task team arrested Omega Khulani Ngubane in March 2022 for the alleged murder of Judia Mbuyazi, who was shot and killed at a mall in Richards Bay in July 2020.
Mbuyazi’s case was linked to the RBM murder cases.
Last November, the task team arrested Halalisani Nchunu, who was found with a 9mm pistol and three AK-47s linked to the murder of businessman Sipho Zwelethemba Masuku. Masuku was an RBM contractor murdered in August 2024 in Richards Bay.
Earlier this month, Business Day’s sister publication the Sunday Times reported the task team was withdrawn from RBM. The withdrawal came five years after Mkhwanazi’s initial deployment in 2021.
The Madlanga commission hearings continue this week.
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