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DUMPED IN the river

FUNDS ABUSED: Mdibanisi Tsheke. Pic: Antonio Muchave. 12/02/2005. © Sowetan. FEATURE Mdibanisi Tsheke Executive Mayor GMM in Mpumalanga.
FUNDS ABUSED: Mdibanisi Tsheke. Pic: Antonio Muchave. 12/02/2005. © Sowetan. FEATURE Mdibanisi Tsheke Executive Mayor GMM in Mpumalanga.

THE Govan Mbeki municipal chief financial officer, who vanished five years ago before he could testify in a corruption case against his marketing manager, was killed in Malawi.

This is contrary to earlier media reports that Joshua Ntshuhle was killed and buried on a farm near Nelspruit.

In fact, he was allegedly killed by one Henry Shaboe and his body thrown into a river in Malawi.

It is believed that Ntshuhle's killer(s) took him to Malawi so that his whereabouts remained unknown in South Africa.

Before his disappearance in 2005 Ntshuhle had exposed abuse of then executive mayor Mdibanisi Tsheke's discretionary funds, and was about to testify in a fraud and corruption trial against the municipality's marketing manager, Sibusiso Sigudla.

He vanished before the start of the trial and was never seen again.

But, according to records at the Secunda magistrate's court, where the matter was heard, Ntshuhle's body was found in a river in Malawi. The police believe he was poisoned before being thrown in.

Sigudla was summoned to court when it was believed he had a hand in Ntshuhle's disappearance.

The investigating officer in Ntshuhle's disappearance, Inspector Lawrence Mahlangu, confirmed in court that Ntshuhle was buried in Malawi.

"We arrested a suspect, Henry Shaboe, who was involved in the kidnapping and abduction of Joshua," Mahlangu said.

"Joshua had crossed the Zimbabwean border to Malawi with Shaboe.

"It is believed that Shaboe took Joshua's vehicle before poisoning him and throwing him into the river."

Asked if he believed that Ntshuhle's killing had anything to do with him being a witness in a corruption case, Mahlangu said it was difficult to implicate anyone at the municipality.

This revelation flies in the face of media reports that Ntshuhle was killed by an assassin known as Josh, at the instruction of a top ANC boss.

"Josh" claimed that he had been paid to poison Ntshuhle.

He said he had buried Ntshuhle, with two other politicians, on a farm near Nelspruit.

"Josh" also claimed to have killed Mbombela municipal speaker Jimmy Mohlala, and Mpumalanga's arts and culture departmental spin doctor Sammy Mpatlanyane, also at the instruction of an ANC boss.

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