Hawks want Popcru CEO for ‘kidnapping, murder plot against union’s top officials’

Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) investment arm CEO Zwelinkosi Mdletshe and an accomplice are being sought by the Hawks in connection with “an alleged conspiracy to kidnap and murder senior Popcru officials”, the Hawks said on Thursday.

Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said they have secured warrants of arrest for Mdletshe and Robert Sherriff “in the wake of an apparent elaborate plot” to kidnap and murder members in Popcru’s top brass.

According to Mulaudzi, the investigation – which commenced in September this year – revealed funds from the Popcru Investment Group of Companies were allegedly misappropriated.

“These transactions valued at a substantial amount of money were allegedly misappropriated from around 2016”.

To date, only a Lesotho national, Neo Letele, who is believed to be the middleman, has been arrested.

He was allegedly instructed by Mdletshe and Sherriff to find an assassin who was to be paid R1m to execute the hit “in an attempt to silence those who wanted the two suspects to account for the funds”, said Mulaudzi.

Letele is currently in police custody having made a court appearance on November 13. His case has been postponed to November 20 for a formal bail application.

The Hawks are calling on members of the public who may have knowledge of Mdletshe and Sherriff’s whereabouts to contact Sergeant Steve Ndabambi on 082 559 4613 or Captain Naborth Mavuso on 082 461 9486.

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