A fourth policeman‚ the detective branch commander of the Muden police station‚ joined three other officers in the dock on charges of murder on Wednesday.
Warrant officer Sizwe Bhengu was detained by investigators from Ipid and joined his co-accused‚ sergeant Mxolisi Hadebe‚ constable Ntethelelo Hlophe and constable Sboniso Mchunu‚ when they appeared in the Greytown Magistrate’s court in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands.
All four face charges of murder‚ assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and defeating the ends of justice relating to the death of Mbongiseni Ndlela earlier this month.
Ndlela had handed himself over to police for questioning on August 2‚ with his captors claiming he had been linked to a murder. He and his nephew were tortured in custody‚ according to Ipid investigators.
“One of the suspects [Ndlela] succumbed to his injuries and died. Then the police orchestrated a plan to dispose of the deceased’s body‚ dumping it in nearby bushes‚” Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini said in a statement.
“The family of the man reported him missing at the same station when he failed to return home. The police told the family that he had been released on the same day after questioning‚” Dlamini added.
Another officer‚ thought to have been linked to the death in detention‚ took his own life after Ipid investigators began arresting his colleagues.
All four will appear in court again on Friday for a formal bail application.
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