By Aerusha Jenal Lalbahadur
Members of the KwaZulu-Natal Community Police Forum are reeling from shock following the murder of the provincial chairperson, Prince Mthunzi Mathenjwa, who was gunned down at his home in Empangeni, on Thursday night, 11 August.
With investigations still underway, speculations are rife regarding the motive behind the murder of the 58-year-old KZN CPF chairperson. His alleged assassination sent shock waves throughout the CPF community.
EThekwini Central Cluster CPF chairperson and member of the Provincial CPF Executive Committee, Imitiaz Syed, passed his condolences to Mathenjwa’s family and friends. He said Mathenjwa was a man of great leadership, who extended himself and his time to service the community and was dedicated to fighting crime.
“It is with great sadness that we find ourselves as society being targeted by wanton criminality when we take office in positions that are meant to bring change. We condemn the brutal assassination of Mthunzi Mathenjwa and have yet to understand the reasoning behind the brutal murder. We call on our partners the South African Police Service to bring in the required attention and resources to find these criminals and bring them to book.”
His sentiments were shared by
Umesh Singh, eThekwini Outer North Cluster CPF chairperson, who said the news of Mathenjwa’s passing came as a shock.
“I worked closely with Mathenjwa over the last few years. Mathenjwa volunteered his service to this country and worked tirelessly over the years to curb the increase of crime. I send my deepest condolences to the family of Mathenjwa during this time.”
Singh added that the investigation is still at an early stage but that justice will prevail. KZN police spokesperson, Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo, said Mathenjwa was killed at around 7.20pm.
“The male, aged 58, was at his house when he noticed men loitering around his gate. After some time he called his son as back-up and went out to investigate. Upon approaching the men, they fatally shot and killed him,” said Cst Ngcobo.
She added that a case of murder is being investigated by Empangeni SAPS.
