Lead investigator in the murder case of Namhla Mtwa removed after receiving death threats

A senior lead investigator into the gruesome murder of Namhla Mtwa has been removed from the case after receiving death threats.

Police Minister Bheki Cele confirmed to eNCA that the senior investigator was deployed from Limpopo to the Eastern Cape to deal specifically with the murder case of Mtwa.

The 35-year-old municipal worker was shot nine times inside her car on 21 April 2022 as she entered her home in Sdwadwa at Mthatha.

Her case sparked public outcry as the fight against the scourge of Gender-based-violence (GBV) continues.

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Investigators on the case threatened

“It is more difficult than one thought, we sent a senior police officer to come and investigate, a brigadier from Limpopo. We had to protect her, we had to ship her out because there were threats on her life. 

Cele said a new investigator has taken over the case.

“It seems like it is not an innocent death that happened, where we need to find the killer. The fact that you threaten and we had to protect the investigator, it tells us that it is much broader than we thought.”

He conceded that the threats on the investigators will not deter them and that they provided protection to all investigators part of the murder case.

“But that is not going to stop us from investigating and going forward, investigations are going on and as I said, much more difficult than we thought. But we will make a breakthrough, there are names that are brushed around,” added Cele.

Namhla Mtwa’s murder

Namhla Mtwa’s murder made it to national news after her sister, Sanga Nozintathu Mtwa, took to Facebook in a series of posts in a plea to get justice for her sister a month after her heinous murder.

Sanga alleged that her sister was in an abusive relationship with her long-term partner and also shared pictured of Namhla covered in bruises.

Back in June, police offered a R200 000 reward for any information that could lead to the arrest of her murderer.

Police also said that they were closing in on the suspects, but five months later no one has been arrested.

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