By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Police have appointed a multidisciplinary team of detectives and crime intelligence officers to investigate the murder of March and March Gauteng leader Andile Mvuyiselwa Somgaxa.
Somgaxa was shot in the driveway of his home in Greenfield, Johannesburg, on 4 July and died in hospital from his injuries on 9 July.
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In a statement on Tuesday, SAPS said Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane assembled the team in consultation with Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni, assigning seasoned detectives and crime intelligence officers to lead the investigation.
Dimpane condemned the attack and said police would leave no stone unturned in identifying, tracing and bringing those responsible to justice.
“The appointment of a multidisciplinary team underscores the seriousness with which SAPS is treating this matter. We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding this murder and to ensure accountability,” Dimpane said.
March and March is an anti-illegal immigration movement led nationally by former radio personality Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma. It has campaigned for the large-scale deportation of undocumented foreign nationals and more power and funding for the Border Management Authority.
The organisation was among the groups behind nationwide demonstrations on 30 June after activists set that date as a “deadline” for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa.
Dimpane issued a warning to individuals and groups involved in intimidating, harassing or perpetrating violence against foreign nationals, saying such conduct was unlawful and would not be tolerated.
Dimpane also welcomed the arrest of five suspects in Marapong township, outside Lephalale in Limpopo, who allegedly posed as Department of Home Affairs officials and demanded the removal of foreign nationals from the community.
Police said the suspects, aged between 20 and 58, allegedly confronted a Nigerian national at his business premises and forced him to close the establishment after claiming foreign nationals were not permitted to operate businesses in South Africa.
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The group allegedly threatened to destroy the business and demanded that the owner leave the country. The businessman was subsequently taken to the Department of Home Affairs in Lephalale, where officials verified that he was legally in South Africa and held valid documentation authorising him to operate the business.
“The law applies equally to everyone. No individual or group has the authority to conduct immigration inspections, verify legal status, or remove people from communities. Those responsibilities rest solely with law enforcement agencies and relevant government departments,” Dimpane said.
