Rustenburg - The fifth man linked to the murder of the Collins Chabane municipality mayor Moses Maluleke appeared in the Malamulele Magistrate's Court on Monday.
Tshianeo Munyai is facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, murder, attempted murder, and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
“The matter is adjourned to 19 September 2022 for the accused to secure a legal representative and to join the other four accused,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in Limpopo division Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi.
“Initially, only four suspects were arrested and appeared in court, and they all abandoned their bail applications. The incident took place in Xikundu Village on 21 July 2022, where the accused allegedly shot and killed Maluleke, at his homestead, while he was with his 18-year-old son,” she said.
Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said Munyai was linked to the case after the Vhembe Trio Crimes Task Team received information about the location of the suspects who were committing the spate of business robberies, car hijackings, murders, rapes and burglaries in Thohoyandou, Mphephu, Siloam, Vuwani and Levubu policing areas.
“The information was operationalised, which led the team to different locations at Ha-Mutodi, Duthuni, Shayandima and Thohoyandou Block F, where the four suspects were arrested.”
He said a team of investigators assigned to probe the murder of Maluleke succeeded in positively linking one of the four men arrested for a spate of serious crimes to his murder.
“This linkage brings the total number of suspects arrested for the murder of the mayor to five.
“The suspects aged between 21 and 44 were, soon after their arrests, subjected to further probes which positively linked the 30-year-old to the murder of the mayor. The probe also linked the same suspect to the murder of a Thohoyandou lawyer, Mr Mangwadu, who was attached to the Legal Aid, (who) was shot and killed in January 2022 when entering his home,” he said.
IOL