Slain ANC leader was working on land project when he was gunned down

“We don’t believe the suspect was working alone in plotting the murder of my father. He should open up and tell us who his co-conspirators were.”

That is the belief of Thembeka Nsimbi, daughter of slain former ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Zibuse Mlaba.

Mlaba, 65, who was also chief of KwaXimba, was shot dead in October 2021 at Wareings Shopping Centre near his Cato Ridge office.

Nsimbi was speaking after her relative, Dunkin Patric Mzamo Mlaba, appeared briefly in the Camperdown regional court on Friday in connection with Mlaba's death.

She said her father had championed the land redistribution project involving plots of land in the Lion Park and Camperdown areas outside Pietermaritzburg.

Mlaba lodged an application in 2014 to have the land returned to its rightful owners. 

“When eventually my father received the go-ahead, a committee was formed,” said Nsimbi.

“The committee was to be tasked with the redistribution of the land. However conflict arose, with some people wanting the land to be sold.”

She said Mlaba's death left unanswered questions and the family could not conclusively point a finger at any one.

“We could not talk on the basis of hearsay. It was painful and we could not say exactly who murdered our father.”

Nsimbi said in the aftermath of Mlaba's death the suspect along with other family members had kept their distance. There were also a no-show at the funeral and at the unveiling of the tombstone.

Before Mlaba’s death threats were made on his life.

“He was determined to see the project through even when he was told to steer clear of it,” said Nsimbi.

Mzamo Mlaba, 63, handed himself over at the Camperdown police station on Thursday after he was implicated in a plea agreement by Fortune Dlamini, 29, regarding an alleged R130,000 payment to three men for the murder.

Dlamini, who was arrested on September 29, pleaded guilty in the Camperdown regional court and was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment on Thursday. He said he became close to the family after renting a flat near them in 2019 and assisted Mzamo selling plots of land in the Lion Park area outside Pietermaritzburg.

Some time in September, Mzamo asked for a meeting, which included a hitman to whom he is alleged to have offered the money to kill Mlaba. Dlamini said they searched for Mlaba’s photo on Google, which he used to trace him.

The matter was adjourned to April 14 for a bail application.

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