By Palesa Matlala
- Police raided properties in Gauteng, seized electronic devices and questioned a person of interest as they investigate the suspected murder of former police general Sindile Mfazi.
- Investigators believe Mfazi may have been poisoned while probing high profile corruption cases linked to Covid 19 personal protective equipment contracts.
Police say they are making progress in solving the mysterious death of former Deputy National Police Commissioner for Crime Detection Sindile Mfazi.
One person is being questioned after police carried out raids at several properties in Gauteng on Monday night.
Investigators also seized electronic devices that they believe could help crack the case.
Mfazi died in July 2021 after becoming ill.
At the time, it was believed he had died from Covid 19 complications.
But police have now officially reclassified the case as a murder investigation after forensic evidence raised serious questions about how he died.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the investigation is highly sensitive and is still continuing.
“We wouldn’t want to divulge too much at this stage. Operations are ongoing,” she said.
Mathe confirmed that investigators are interviewing several people of interest but would not reveal their identities because search and seizure operations are still under way.
“I can confirm that we are looking at a number of persons of interest,” she said.
Police believe they are getting closer to finding those responsible.
Several high profile individuals have been identified as people who may have played a role in the alleged murder, although no arrests have yet been announced.
Mfazi was one of the country’s most senior detectives.
He headed crime detection and oversaw investigations into some of South Africa’s biggest criminal cases.
At the time of his death, he was also involved in investigations linked to the South African Police Service Secret Services Account and alleged corruption involving about R1.6 billion in Covid 19 personal protective equipment contracts.
Mathe said investigators are trying to establish whether there is a link between those investigations and his death.
“The evidence will lead us to why anyone would want the then deputy national police commissioner for crime detection killed,” she said.
“Obviously, he was the head of detectives and Crime Intelligence. So who would want him killed?”
Mfazi became ill after testing positive for Covid 19.
According to police, his health worsened rapidly within 24 hours and he was later found dead at his Pretoria home by a colleague.
His family never accepted that Covid 19 was the true cause of his death.
They repeatedly said they believed he had been poisoned and successfully approached the court to have his body exhumed for a post mortem examination.
Questions about Mfazi’s death were also raised before Parliament’s police corruption ad hoc committee earlier this year.
Former Crime Intelligence warrant officer Pilasande Dotyeni told the committee there were signs that concerned investigators from the beginning.
He claimed officials removed documents from Mfazi’s house while his body was still inside.
“There was blood, which is what brought these suspicions of foul play,” Dotyeni told the committee.
He also testified that forensic examinations found evidence which investigators believed was consistent with poisoning.
Police have not publicly released the full forensic report and the investigation remains ongoing.
Mathe said the electronic devices seized during this week’s raids will be analysed together with evidence collected by the Cold Case Unit, which has been investigating Mfazi’s death since 2021.
Police say more search operations are expected and additional people could be questioned as investigators continue building what they describe as a full scale murder case.
Pictured above: Former Deputy National Police Commissioner for Crime Detection Sindile Mfazi, whose 2021 death is now being investigated as murder.
Image source: SAPS
