Brutal and inhumane’ – mayor on murder of Sedibeng municipal manager Stanley Khanyile

Sedibeng mayor Busisiwe Modisakeng has expressed her shock at the “brutal and inhumane” murder of municipal manager Stanley Khanyile.

“The brutal and inhumane murder of Mr Khanyile has left a devastating pain and sudden loss to the family of Sedibeng district municipality and its stakeholders,” said Modisakeng on Sunday.

“His contribution will be sorely missed in the local government community.”

He served as Sedibeng district municipal manager since June 2017.

Khanyile was shot multiple times inside his vehicle on Saturday in Alberton, a source confirmed to News24.

Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said police had launched a manhunt for the unknown suspects. On Sunday, she still declined to identify the victim.

“According to information from the scene, at around midday on Saturday, the deceased was in a vehicle parked at a shopping centre on the corner of Hennie Alberts Road and Michelle Avenue in Meyersdal, Alberton, when a suspect fired multiple shots at him,” said Peters.

After having shot Khanyile, the suspect was reported to have jumped into a nearby gold Toyota Cressida.

The motive for the shooting remained unclear.

In August, Khanyile, Durban businessman and chartered accountant Poovandaren Chetty and former chief director of the Eastern Cape social development department, advocate Vuyokazi Sangoni, appeared in the King William’s Town Magistrate’s Court where they faced charges of fraud, theft and money laundering worth more than R29 million.

It was alleged that the accused siphoned the R29 million from a R42 million budget earmarked for the construction of a resources development centre during the 2015-2016 financial year.

Gauteng Cooperative Governance MEC Lebogang Maile announced in August that he appointed advocate William Mokhari to probe a raft of allegations against Khanyile and the embattled municipality.

At the time, he said he appointed Mokhari after receiving representations from Modisakeng pertaining to certain allegations.

Mokhari’s tasks included enquiring into, making findings and reporting whether the municipal manager had purchased a house worth R5 million by forging his wife’s signature and had salary payments exceeding the amount for which concurrence was received.

Maile’s spokesperson, Castro Ngobese, said the MEC would “make the findings public once the report has been finalised”.

He referred News24 to the municipality for further comment, even though municipal spokesperson Saviour Kgaswane initially referred News24 to Ngobese.

No one had yet been arrested for Khanyile’s murder.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.