MPUMALANGA police commissioner Lieutenant General Thulani Ntobela has dismissed two police constables identified as suspects in the murder of Mbombela council speaker Jimmy Mohlala.
Constables Dumisani Stanley Mhlanga, 34, and Musa Finish Mkhabela, 31, were found guilty during an internal disciplinary hearing at Nelspruit police headquarters yesterday.
Provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Hlathi, told Sowetan that the duo had faced several charges.
"They faced charges, among them corruption and violation of the South African Police Service's Code of Conduct.
"They were found guilty and sanctioned with a dismissal effective from March 8 2011," Hlathi said yesterday.
Ntobela fired the two police officers after approving the recommendations of internal investigations into the two's alleged involvement in the Mohlala murder.
"No member of the police service can be involved in serious, unlawful acts and think he or she will not be punished for their criminal behaviour.
"The evidence gathered suggests that the constables were at the murder scene using state resources for untested, and questionable reasons.
"This warranted their official removal from the police service," Ntobela said in a statement read by Hlathi yesterday.
Mhlanga and Mkhabela are expected to appear in the KaBokweni magistrate's court on March 23.
They are expected to appear with Jenny Mabika-Mona, her son Sakhile Mabika-Mona and Moses Mahungela.
They will face murder charges as well as unlawful possession of firearms.
Mohlala was shot dead at his KaNyamazane home in Nelspruit on January 4 2009 by two gunmen who found him sitting with his teenager son Tshepiso. Tshepiso was shot in the leg during the attack.
Police initially arrested three men in connection with Mohlala's murder.
They were subsequently released after police investigations could not to link them to the murder.
Mohlala's widow Bonny and her son were also arrested after the murder. They were allegedly tortured by police, who are said to have wanted them to confess to the crime, but were also released after investigations could not link them to the murder.
Mhlanga, Mkhabela, Jenny Mabika-Mona and Mahungela are out on bail. They were arrested in October for Mohlala's murder.
Meanwhile, Mbombela executive mayor Lassy Chiwayo is on record as saying Mohlala's murder was politically motivated but he has refused to say if he thought the police had arrested the wrong people or not.
"I do not want to be seen to be interfering with police investigations into this matter," Chiwayo said recently.
Mohlala killing: cops axed
MPUMALANGA police commissioner Lieutenant General Thulani Ntobela has dismissed two police constables identified as suspects in the murder of Mbombela council speaker Jimmy Mohlala.
Constables Dumisani Stanley Mhlanga, 34, and Musa Finish Mkhabela, 31, were found guilty during an internal disciplinary hearing at Nelspruit police headquarters yesterday.
Provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Hlathi, told Sowetan that the duo had faced several charges.
"They faced charges, among them corruption and violation of the South African Police Service's Code of Conduct.
"They were found guilty and sanctioned with a dismissal effective from March 8 2011," Hlathi said yesterday.
Ntobela fired the two police officers after approving the recommendations of internal investigations into the two's alleged involvement in the Mohlala murder.
"No member of the police service can be involved in serious, unlawful acts and think he or she will not be punished for their criminal behaviour.
"The evidence gathered suggests that the constables were at the murder scene using state resources for untested, and questionable reasons.
"This warranted their official removal from the police service," Ntobela said in a statement read by Hlathi yesterday.
Mhlanga and Mkhabela are expected to appear in the KaBokweni magistrate's court on March 23.
They are expected to appear with Jenny Mabika-Mona, her son Sakhile Mabika-Mona and Moses Mahungela.
They will face murder charges as well as unlawful possession of firearms.
Mohlala was shot dead at his KaNyamazane home in Nelspruit on January 4 2009 by two gunmen who found him sitting with his teenager son Tshepiso. Tshepiso was shot in the leg during the attack.
Police initially arrested three men in connection with Mohlala's murder.
They were subsequently released after police investigations could not to link them to the murder.
Mohlala's widow Bonny and her son were also arrested after the murder. They were allegedly tortured by police, who are said to have wanted them to confess to the crime, but were also released after investigations could not link them to the murder.
Mhlanga, Mkhabela, Jenny Mabika-Mona and Mahungela are out on bail. They were arrested in October for Mohlala's murder.
Meanwhile, Mbombela executive mayor Lassy Chiwayo is on record as saying Mohlala's murder was politically motivated but he has refused to say if he thought the police had arrested the wrong people or not.
"I do not want to be seen to be interfering with police investigations into this matter," Chiwayo said recently.
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