Members of the family of the slain Ekurhuleni auditor, Mpho Mafole, were at the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Friday for the bail ruling of accused hitman Thabani Goodwill Ntshalintshali.
The former taxi driver was, for a multitude of reasons, denied bail. He was on bail for another murder when he allegedly conspired and was purportedly part of the hit team that assassinated Mafole. The magistrate also considered him a flight risk.
Mafole, a seasoned and well-respected auditor, was appointed chief forensic auditor at the City of Ekurhuleni just three months before he was killed. He had previously spent more than a decade as a senior member at the Auditor General of South Africa. It is suspected that the motive for the assassination is linked to investigative audits he was conducting at the municipality.
Intends to plead ‘not guilty’
Ntshalintshali noted in his bail affidavit that he intends to plead not guilty to murder. The state previously argued that Ntshalintshali poses a threat to the community.
Chad Thomas of IRS Forensic Investigations was placed on an investigation watching brief by the Mafole family. He said that there are several working theories about who may have had a motive to order the assassination. IRS continues to collaborate with law enforcement to seek out potential accomplices in the murder. “The South African Police Service Gauteng Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit did exceptional work in their investigation,” Thomas said.
The shooting occurred in Ekurhuleni DA councillor Simon Lapping’s ward. He said that he hopes the state pursues those found responsible to the fullest extent of the law and jails them. “There are other suspects still on the streets,” he said, “and it is imperative that law enforcement catches up with them, too. We cannot continue to live in a lawless society. It is shocking that this country has degenerated to this malaise.”
‘It is shocking that this country has degenerated’
The Citizen previously reported on the growing number of professionals targeted in South Africa, where matters that should have been resolved through legal processes have instead been met with violence. Lawyers, auditors, liquidators and whistle-blowers have been marked for death rather than justice.
Attorney Bouwer van Niekerk was shot and killed in his law firm in Avonwold after assailants booked an appointment, entered a boardroom and walked out minutes later. His killing is believed to be linked to his work on a major insolvency matter tied to an alleged Ponzi scheme.
In March 2023, insolvency practitioner Cloete Murray and his son Thomas were gunned down on the N1 in Midrand. Murray was the liquidator of Bosasa and was involved in several politically sensitive cases.
Also Read: Forced into hiding: Liquidation process turned deadly
Whistle-blower Marumo Phenya was shot in Roodepoort in October 2022 after exposing alleged tender corruption at the Department of Home Affairs. In August 2021, Gauteng health official Babita Deokaran was murdered outside her home after flagging irregular Personal Protective Equipment tenders. The family still awaits justice.
Phenya family still awaits justice
Mafole’s assassination follows a similar pattern.. He was shot dead on June 30 while driving on the R23 in Kempton Park. He had been investigating a R2 billion shortfall in electricity revenue and other corruption at the City of Ekurhuleni.
Other killings include that of Armand Swart, shot outside his workplace in Vereeniging in April 2024 after hitmen allegedly targeted the wrong person, and investigator Frans Mathipa, murdered in August 2023 near Hammanskraal while probing abductions and the possible involvement of SANDF personnel.
Thomas warned about the broader increase in targeted killings. “We cannot allow our country to descend into chaos where assassinations become commonplace. Through good police work in this case, we have seen one of the foot soldiers arrested, but we must not lose sight of the fact that there is an entire murder for hire ecosystem operating in South Africa. Those ordering the hits and those facilitating the hits must be held to account.”
Now Read: Justice at gunpoint: the growing hit list of whistle-blowers inSouth Africa
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