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1 Desember / December 2017
Missing man found dead on farm
STANDERTON - After a frantic search for a missing person, police made a breakthrough on Saturday, 25 November when the body of Sihle Mathenjwa (37) was discoverd on a farm close to Standerton. The deceased was reported missing on Monday, 20 November after his girlfriend alerted the family of his disappearance on Friday, 17 November. A missing person’s case was opened and police began the search and followed the leads to no avail. The deceased was an ex-police officer, who was reportedly working for Lekwa Local Municipality as a safety officer. It is reported that the deceased was in a meeting at work on Friday, 17 November, when he received a phone call, after which he excused himself from the meeting and took his car and drove off. He was never seen again. On Friday, 24 November, SAPS divers embarked on a search in the Vaal River under the Bridge to Meyerville but the search did not bear any fruit. His car’s (a Nissan Tiida) desciption was circulated while the search continued. Police had received information that the car was seen filling up with fuel at a filling station in Meyerville sometime after the deceased had disappeared. On Saturday, 25 November, Miss Shabe Makgorogo who works at Standerton Police Sta-
tion’s control room, was in the company of Vispol’s head, Colonel Ntombi Xaba and Captain Busisiwe Dube along Handel Street when she spotted the Nissan Tiida parked under a tree. Knowing the plate numbers of the missing car, she alerted police officers. At that time two men left the car under the tree and walked across the road. Shabe was already walking on foot toward the suspects, while Col Xaba phoned the police for backup. Shabe walked close to the suspects when they were joined by a third man and the three shook hands and hugged each other. Suddenly a police van appeared and Shabe grabbed the two suspects while the third man ran away. The two were loaded into the back of a police van while other officers joined in and chased the third suspect who was eventually caught. The car was positively identified as the missing person’s car. The suspects were taken into custody for questioning and one suspect confessed that he know where the body is. He then led police to the spot where the body was left on a farm. The body was recovered from a cattle dip with his hands tied with a rope. A bullet wound to his head was also discovered. The three suspects aged 19, 27, and 29 were charged with murder. Captain Johannes Nhlabathi
(Photo by: Jannie Degenaar) A member of the SAPS’s rescue team during the search for Sihle Mathenjwa. Inset: The victim’s car is being kept at Standerton Police Station. confirmed the arrest and said the suspects will appear in court soon, while an investigation is underway. The family was taken to the scene and positively identified
the deceased. Miss Shabe Magorogo was praised for her vigilance and bravery. The deceased was originally from Brakpan, East of Johannesburg. DM