Two detectives investigating DJ Sumbody's murder and other high-profile killings were followed from court sessions in Vereeniging and received threats, allegedly from a senior police officer and the suspects' family and friends.
The details are contained in an application for protection for the investigators submitted by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola and other high-ranking officials in August 2024.
During the first few court sessions, the investigating team was followed from the court building and many threats have been made inside the courtroom by the family and friends. Threats have been received via informers and from a high-ranking police officer in the Vaal Rand area
— Application for protection for investigators submitted by the National Prosecuting Authority
“During the first few court sessions, the investigating team was followed from the court building and many threats have been made inside the courtroom by the family and friends. Threats have been received via informers and from a high-ranking police officer in the Vaal Rand area,” reads the letter Sowetan has seen.
“The case is brilliantly investigated and the accused are 100% connected to all the charges against them. They obviously face long terms of imprisonment and a definite life sentence for the assassination. From the above-mentioned, it is clear the lives of the investigating officers are in grave danger, and the safety of the police dockets.
“You are requested to urgently arrange for the safeguarding of investigators. There is a real risk their lives are in extreme danger as the organised criminals will do everything to try to destroy the evidence against them and/or to seriously derail the trial,” read the letter.
Sowetan has withheld the names of the detectives to protect their identities.
NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana confirmed the letter and referred Sowetan to the police for additional information.
The Alexandra magistrate's court has since heard the detectives have been assigned a team of bodyguards to guard them 24/7.
Tankiso “TK” Molefe and alleged hitmen Michael Pule Tau, Tiego Floyd Mabusela and Musa Kekana have been charged with the murders of DJ Sumbody and his bodyguards Sibusiso Mokoena and Sandile Myeza in November 2022.
It also emerged in court that the accused have been linked to several other killings across Gauteng.
Sowetan previously reported how from March 2022 to April 2024, six men, including DJ Sumbody, were shot while in their cars on Gauteng roads.
Hector “DJ Vintos” Buthelezi was shot 27 times by gunmen in a BMW X3 outside a nightclub in Soweto in March 2022. His body was found next to his car.
Eight months later, DJ Sumbody, real name Oupa Sefoka, was killed with Mokoena and Myeza when gunmen fired at them in Woodmead, outside Midrand.
DJ Sumbody and Mokoena were found dead in a VW Golf while Myeza, who was driving separately in a BMW X5, was rushed to a hospital where he died a few days later.
In March 2023, Don Tindleni was killed on the N1. In April 2024, Armand Swart was in his car and about to enter his workplace in Vereeniging when he was sprayed with bullets. Allegations are that he was shot 23 times.
Tau, Mabusela and Kekana were arrested for the murder of Swart last year. Two weeks ago, however, they were also charged with the murders of DJ Sumbody, Mokoena and Myeza. Molefe was added as an accused.
The murders of Buthelezi and Tindleni have been added to their charges.
Police national spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said guns seized during arrests for Swart's murder were later linked to at least 10 killings.
The same firearms were also used in the attempted assassination of businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala's ex-lover socialite Tebogo Thobejane in Sandton in October 2023.
The letter alleges the suspects are involved in a serious crime syndicate and close to R1m was offered to them for the assassination of Swart, an engineer.
“Investigations have also revealed the [Swart] assassination is directly linked to whistleblowing via the Transnet hotline on corruption activities involving millions. The investigations revealed firearms used during the commission of the assassination and found in their possession are linked to many assassination and serious violent crime scenes,” reads the letter.
“Cellphone linkage investigations have revealed high-profile organised crime and crime scene planning.”
A source close to the investigation said the accused had many phones.
“In their phones, there are pictures of executed jobs which suggest they would take photos after assassinating a person and send them to the person who ordered the hit to speed the payment,” said the source.
“They knew they could be tracked through cellphone movements so they used different phones for different scenes. The phone were seized by police.”
He said shortly after guns were seized during the Swart investigations, they were taken to Pretoria for ballistic testing, but they could not be linked to other crimes.
“They went to KwaZulu-Natal and were received by a political task team. That is when they were linked to about 14 crime scenes, which included the DJs killed in Gauteng.”
On July 6 KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged there was a plot to silence investigations into the murders of personalities in the entertainment industry, adding senior officials were protecting the interests of criminal networks tied to drug cartels behind stalling the investigations.
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