Police say they're confident that a suspect arrested in connection with the murder of Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa was involved in the crime. They've however declined to comment on whether he fired the fatal shot.
Zanokuhle Mbatha (25) was arrested last Thursday and appeared in Court on Friday. Twelve other suspects who were also questioned have been released.
Divisional Commissioner of Detective Services, Vinesh Moonoo says the police are sure the man arrested was involved in the incident.
“We're sure that the person that we have now charged is one of the suspects that were involved in the incident. What we're certain of is that there were two people that we could say were directly involved with the incident. We're confident there were two people on the scene. Persons that were arrested at Beit Bridge, there was nothing that we could link them to the crime, therefore they were also released.”
The police on Monday briefed the media in Parktown, Johannesburg on their investigations into Meyiwa's murder. The soccer star was shot and killed in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg just over a week ago. He was laid to rest over the weekend.
A total of 13 people have been questioned since Meyiwa was fatally shot.
All but one were released as they could not be linked to the crime. Zanokuhle Mbatha who also lives in the township, was arrested last Thursday. He appeared in court the following day.
Moonoo declined to comment on whether Mbatha is the one who pulled the trigger.
“Regarding the issue of whether the person arrested is the shooter or his role in the crime, I would rather that we give the investigation team that I'm leading time to do the investigation correctly instead of speculating, it would not be fair to the investigation for me to answer that question at this stage, it would be speculation again. It may also jeopardise the investigation that I'm busy with regarding this matter,” says Moonoo.
Moonoo says they are also following up on reports suggesting text massages have been sent from a phone that was stolen during the crime.
“We're now at a stage where we can focus on a trial-driven investigation. We're following up several leads to get the case trial-ready as quick as possible. But this does not mean that this is the end of the investigation. We have cast the net as wide as possible to look at each and every possibility, we still maintain that the information currently at our disposal, suggests that it was a robbery horribly gone wrong,” Moonoo adds.
A R250,000 reward is still on offer for anyone who can provide the police with useful information regarding the crime. Moonoo says while keeping in mind the public's interest in the case, they have to ensure that the investigation is not compromised by revealing too much.
“We assure the public that we'll do anything to ensure that those who have committed this crime are arrested and brought before the courts. However we cannot provide detailed information about the investigation. The details will be revealed in court,” says Moonoo.
Credit: SABC
