Mpumalanga councillor shot dead at fuel station

A prominent Mpumalanga councillor has been shot dead at a fuel station.

Muzi Nyathi, 41, a PR councillor in the Mkhondo municipality in Gert Sibande, was shot in Mkondo at about 6.30pm on Friday. Police spokesperson Col Donald Mdhluli said two people driving a Mercedes-Benz with a Gauteng registration were seen moving from one fuel pump to another, but did not fill up.

Nyathi reportedly bought something from the kiosk.

“It is said that one male occupant came out of the said vehicle, armed with a firearm and shot the victim multiple times at close range. The suspects then fled the scene,” said Mdhluli.

“The police at Piet Retief as well as the paramedics were notified about the incident, however Nyathi was certified dead at the scene. A murder case is being investigated. The Mercedes-Benz was later found abandoned next to a dam and preliminary investigation indicates the number plates on the vehicle seem not to be authentic. It was discovered the car was reported stolen in April this year at Brakpan in Gauteng.”

Mdhluli said Mpumalanga police commissioner Lt-Gen Semakaleng Daphney Manamela had assembled a team of experts to investigate the murder. No arrests have been made so far.

Manamela said: “We trust that the team will swiftly make a breakthrough.”

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