Dumi Masilela’s suspected killers have been arrested, says Masina

Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina announced at the funeral of murdered Rhythm City actor Dumi Masilela on Saturday morning that those suspected of killing him are now in custody.

The funeral was taking place in Kempton Park.

The Rhythm City actor died following a hijacking ordeal last week on Wednesday in Tembisa. Masilela spent the night fighting for his life in hospital after being shot during the attempted hijacking.

The identities of his alleged killers are yet to be revealed but it was reported that they had apparently been on a hijacking spree on the night of the crime.

Driving a Jeep hijacked in Daveyton earlier that evening, they wounded Masilela while trying to hijack his VW Golf 7.

Chief Superintendent Wilfred Kgasago, metro police spokesperson, said: “The owner of the Jeep Wrangler was pistol-whipped so severely that he ended up in hospital. The Jeep was hijacked at around 7pm, and shortly before 8.30pm Masilela was shot, trying to drive away from his assailants.”

Kgasago said the EMPD received a message about the hijacked Jeep Wrangler on Thursday morning at about 8.30am. Within 30 minutes, it was tracked to Ebony Park, where it was found abandoned.

Masilela was sitting in his Golf in Umnonjaneni Section, talking to a friend, when they were attacked.

“Dumisani’s vehicle was idling when a black Jeep arrived with three to four males inside. One of the males walked up to Masilela’s vehicle and just shot him,” Tembisa South police spokesperson Captain Neldah Sekgobela told The Tembisan.

Dumi Masilela’s widow, Simphiwe Ngema, spoke for the first time during her husband’s memorial service held at the Hope Restoration Church in Kempton Park, on Joburg’s East Rand on Wednesday.

The widow was praised by people on social media for being “a woman of strength” after they saw videos of her dancing to Masilela’s Shona Pantsi, and leading a gospel song on stage.

Taking to the podium, Ngema said: “Nothing ever prepares you that one day you’ll be a 27-year-old widow, that all the dreams you’ve dreamt of will be taken away from you, but today I’m not here to speak on my behalf, I’m here to speak on his behalf.

Though she had a lot of questions about her husband’s death, she said it had been time for him to leave.

The actress further praised her late husband for being “perfect”. She said that, in him, she had seen a reflection of herself.

“It was time. If God wanted him to be healed, he would have been healed. Dumi was perfect. I saw God in Dumi. God lived in him.