South Africa News

Sindiso Magaqa’s wife happy about KZN mayor’s arrest

Sindiso Magaqa’s wife has spoken out for the first time after news of an ANC KZN official being arrested in connection with the former ANC Youth League leader’s death two years ago.

The current mayor of the Harry Gwala Municipality, Mluleki Ndobe, was arrested on Sunday in connection with Magaqa’s 2017 murder, the police confirmed. Ndobe is included in the recently revealed list of the ANC’s candidates for the KZN provincial legislature.

Speaking to the Sunday Tribune on Sunday, Magaqa’s wife, Gugu, said she was relieved progress was being made in bringing her husband’s killers to book.

At the time of his death, Magaqa was a PR councilor at the corruption-ridden KZN south coast Mzimkhulu Municipality.

“Although this has reopened old wounds, we are happy that there is progress in the case. As the family we are happy that there is finally something that is happening,” said Gugu.

Gugu stressed that she will always be “broken” about losing Magaqa.

“But it will be always painful for the family. He was the breadwinner for many families at Umzimkhulu,” said Gugu.

Sindiso Magaqa

Magaqa was shot in September 2017 while he was in his Mercedes Benz ML reviewing branch meeting resolutions after a meeting at the Ncambele Junior Secondary near Kokstad. He was with two ANC councillors when gunmen opened fire as they sat in the car.

He later died at the Chief Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durban.

Gugu said Ndobe’s arrest would not erase the pain they have endured as the family.

“It is still painful, but it’s going to take us a long journey to understand what is happening,” she said.

Police Minister Bheki Cele’s spokesperson, Reneilwe Serero, confirmed the arrest but would not divulge the name of the suspect.

“I can confirm one senior official from Harry Gwala District Municipality has been arrested. At this stage I can not divulge the name until their court appearance which will be in the next 48 hours,” she said on Sunday.

Cele announced in September last year that a man had been arrested in connection with Magaqa’s death. He said the suspect was an alleged hitman who had allegedly been involved in cash heists around the province.

Cele said at the time: “Why would a cash heist person go and kill the (former) secretary-general of the ANC Youth League. Those are the things that the investigators will have to investigate. You can’t just be a cash heist guy and the next day you go and you kill a politician,” said Cele.

It’s fine to find the trigger puller, but we want to find the masterminds,” said Cele during a press conference at the provincial police headquarters in Durban.

ANC KZN provincial spokesperson, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu said they were “shocked” about Ndobe’s arrest.

“As the ANC we are a law abiding organisation, and we will always abide by the law,” said Simelane-Zulu.

She urged ANC members to allow to law to take it course, “so that we can get to bottom of this issue.”

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Source: eNCA