Pretoria -- PROVINCIAL commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe has welcomed the life sentences handed down by the High Court in Polokwane against two men convicted for the murder of outspoken ANC councillor Thabang Maupa of Tubatse-Fetakgomo Local Municipality in 2018.
At the time of the shooting, in 2018, IOL reported that the VBS saga had claimed its first fatality as the outspoken ANC councillor, who wanted the party to account for corruption, had been assassinated.
Maupa, aged 42, and his wife were ambushed during the night by gunmen who shot them in their car.
Maupa’s wife, aged 40, sustained injuries but Maupa died at the scene. It was widely believed that Maupa’s death was linked to his public criticism of the ANC and Mayor Maudu Phokane, whose municipality lost about R280m it had invested with the now-defunct VBS.
This week, police in Limpopo said Maupa was shot while sitting in his motor vehicle that he had parked in front of his business at Riba Cross outside Burgersfort on November 26, 2018.
“The case was investigated by the provincial investigation unit under the command of Capt Carthbert Mogale who was tasked to investigate the incident together with the members of crime intelligence and provincial tracking team,” said Limpopo police spokesperson, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo.
“The two accused, Kagiso Maroga (34) and Dan Tjie (35), were both given life sentences for killing the councillor, 10 years for attempting to kill his wife, 10 years for possession of an unlicensed firearm and four years for possession of unlicensed ammunition.”
The sentences will run concurrently.
IOL