We applaud the cops for the quick arrest

Masilela (29) was among the many recent unfortunate casualties of the car hijacking spree that has engulfed our towns and townships, making them dangerous places for many innocent people to drive through at any given hour of the day or night.

Masilela was gunned down while driving with a friend in Tembisa on the night of Wednesday, August 2. The tragic incident left him with several gunshot wounds which led to his death in hospital in the early hours of Thursday, August 3.

At Masilela’s burial in Kempton Park a week later, the executive mayor of Ekurhuleni, Mzwandile Masina, made a dramatic public announcement to mourners about the arrest of a number of suspects linked to Masilela’s killing. Without doubt, news of the announcement was received with jubilation by the mourners.

One can only imagine the joy of the bereaved family on learning that some of the people believed to be responsible for their grief had been arrested by the police. Of course, nothing can comfort a grieving heart and shower members of the police with praise from the public like the immediate arrest of a suspect or suspects in a murder case.

Once again, in extending Kathorus MAIL’s heartfelt condolences to the Masilela family, I also take my hat off to the hard-working and dedicated crime-bursting unit comprising members of the EMPD and SAPS.

Without doubt, the Masilela family holds you in high esteem for a job well done. Not only have you shown your detecting prowess, but you’ve also made the communities of Ekurhuleni and the rest of the country proud.

Your courageous detective work has restored the public’s waning trust and lack of confidence in the police. You’ve once again proved to the public and to your colleagues in the force what it really means to be a dedicated crime- fighting police officer.

I am sure the family of the late Senzo Meyiwa and thousands of his followers, together with the country’s soccer officials, would be proud to have you reassigned to his murder case. After all, the case was initially handled by your team from the onset until Province decided they had a better team of detectives to investigate the murder.

But alas! Many months have gone by and the mystery behind the killing of Senzo Meyiwa has remained just that – a mystery. Therefore, I think perhaps you should be reassigned to re-investigate the case from scratch and let’s see what you can unearth in the shortest possible time.

And while you are at it, please don’t forget to find the killer of your colleague in Vosloorus, Captain Sipho Mthethwa, whose murder also remains unsolved, almost three months after his death at the hands of a notorious criminal and known cop-killer.

In fact, I have no doubt that had the Senzo Meyiwa murder case been left in your capable hands, the person or people responsible for his murder would today be languishing in jail, serving a long sentence. And the case of the ruthless cop-killer who shot Mthethwa would perhaps still be probed by the courts in Palm Ridge.

Of course, we all hope and pray that the suspects arrested for Masilela’s murder will turn out to be the real cold-blooded culprits. And that the killer of Capt Mthethwa and lastly the person or people responsible for Meyiwa’s murder will also finally be brought to book by the same squad that managed to make a significant breakthrough in Masilela’s killing.

Well done!

Also Read: Arrests made in Dumi murder case