Magaqa's family blames state for assassination

THE murder of former ANC councillor and youth league secretary general Sindiso Magaqa  was a “state-sanctioned killing”.

That is the view of his family following damning testimony by a witness at the Madlanga commission this week.

Witness E, who is also a police officer with the crime intelligence unit, told the commission that the police knew before Magaqa was murdered that there was a plot to kill him. He revealed that the police did not act on this information; furthermore, police assets were used to kill Magaqa.

Witness E detailed the role that was played by crime intelligence in the matter. He stated that he had become aware of the murder plot and contacted his superiors about it, proposing how the murder could be stopped. However, his police seniors ignored the information along with the plan to protect Magaqa.

It emerged that a car and a gun used in the murder of Magaqa had belonged to the crime intelligence unit.

Thabiso Zulu, the Magaqa family spokesperson and a close friend of Sindiso Magaqa, indicated they blame the state for the death, adding it actively participated in the killing and then failed to hold those responsible to account. Zulu has been fighting since the murder for those responsible to be held accountable. He has also faced threats as a result but was denied protection by the police.

“This was a state-sponsored killing and the agents have not yet been arrested. What do you call that?” he said in frustration.

Speaking to Cape Times sister publication, Mercury, Zulu said, “We note the testimony that provided nothing new on what we already knew; all it did was to vindicate our position that Sindiso was killed with the help of the state. We call for an urgent arrest of all those who were involved in planning this heinous crime, i.e., politicians and those former apartheid agents from CI.

“The NPA and the police must not be afraid to act against people from law enforcement agencies; failure to act will continue to undermine efforts to arrest graft and protect whistleblowers.

“We also call for conclusions on investigations related to the uMzimkhulu memorial hall, which led to the death of many councillors, i.e., Khaya Thobela, Mduduzi Tshibase, and our very own Sindiso Magaqa,” he said.

Asked whether they will take legal action against the police amid the revelations, he said: “No, we have not reached that conclusion yet. A meeting will be held to discuss issues in full, including how we are going to proceed after yesterday's confirmation of what we know. We held a preliminary meeting yesterday, but we have not reached any conclusion about the steps to be taken; a meeting that will be fully attended by all will take place to consider all matters in the near future.”

“We have known for some time that the police were involved and failed to protect Sindiso, so nothing surprised us yesterday. We were hurt to relive it,” he concluded.

In another interview, he expressed frustration about how the state has handled the issue. He said the state has been sitting on the affidavit of Witness E for the last eight years; it has never arrested these police officers.

“We have had his affidavit for some time, and the state is not willing to implicate those involved. There are two being named, and there is a third person who signed for the AK-47 and the car and is now acting. He refused to allow crime intelligence to provide security,” Zulu said.

He said he had been pleading with the authorities for eight years to investigate the uMzimkhulu Memorial Hall, because that is where Magaqa died. “It does not serve any purpose to say you are fighting corruption but you can’t investigate that hall of shame. That caused the loss of many lives.”

He said in the fight to hold those responsible accountable, he too had suffered, “I have lived a life of vagrancy because of the hall.”

Cape Times