Bevan’s murder was a long time coming, says father Gregory Loftus

By Johnathan Paoli

Gregory Loftus has told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that he believes members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) intended to kill his son, Bevan Loftus, long before he was shot dead during a KwaZulu-Natal Task Team operation in April 2023.

Appearing before the commission on Thursday, Loftus, a former police officer, described what he said was a campaign of harassment, intimidation and threats that culminated in his son’s death on 1 April 2023, a day after he had approached the High Court for an interdict to prevent police from killing him.

“Bevan was murdered by the police under the guise of a legitimate police operation and at the instance of Clive Naicker, a competitor of Bevan in the tow truck industry and an alleged drug dealer,” he said.

Loftus said Bevan had been hiding with four friends after receiving a warning that Captain Deendayalan