By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Madlanga Commission of inquiry continued reviewing Gauteng crime officer Sergeant Fannie Nkosi’s WhatsApp messages on Wednesday.
They found more than 30 calls between Nkosi and Warrant Officer Zungu on 17 April 2024 – the day Armand Swart was murdered.
30-year-old Swart, an employee at Q Tech Engineering Company based in Vereeniging, was shot and killed while seated in his vehicle outside his workplace by two suspects who were driving a white Hyundai i20. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was declared dead on the scene.
It was reported that the suspects orchestrated the assassination in order to silence him after he blew the whistle about fraud and corruption linked to a Transnet tender contract.
However, police report says it was a case of mistaken identity.
Four men – Sandton businessman Katiso “KT” Molefe, former police detective Michael Pule Tau, Musa Kekana, and Tiego Floyd Mabusela – have been arrested in connection with the case.
On the day of Swart’s murder, Nkosi and Zungu exchanged more than 30 calls.
He said he was in his office when Zungu called and told him he was on his way to Joburg from Pretoria, to the Swart murder scene in Vereeniging.
“It was alleged that the people who committed the murder are known to taxi boss Mthakathi Mswazi. I called Mthakathi and informed him that I heard that there are people that you know who have committed murder in Vereeniging,” said Nkosi.
“Mthakathi said to me, ‘Who are those people?’ I went back to Zungu, that’s why you see those many calls between us.”
It appears Nkosi played yet another middleman role between Zungu and Mthakathi.
Nkosi continued: “I called back Mthakathi and told him it’s people [suspects] from Atteridgeville, but who are close to you. Mthakathi said, ‘Let me check all the people I know’. I heard that Danny [Mabusela] has been arrested. Can you confirm that it was indeed Danny?
“I said I was not at the scene and told him Zungu was at the scene, and he was the one who shared that information with me. Later, Mthakathi sent me Mabusela’s ID number to confirm if he was the suspect. I said I did not know and did not even confirm.”
Earlier, the commission heard that Mthakathi was an associate of the late Pretoria taxi tycoon Mswazi Msibi, who also owned a farm.
Nkosi, who referred to Msibi as baba (father) to describe their close relationship, said Mthakathi was also known to suspended SAPS deputy national commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya. Sibiya has been at Msibi’s farm on a few occasions, according to Nkosi.
After Msibi’s death, Mthakathi reached out to Nkosi, requesting assistance for the Msibi family, who were facing violent attacks on their taxis.
Mthakathi had sent Nkosi a list of taxi-related violence cases implicating Msibi’s former associate Joe Sibanyoni.
Nkosi said he was asked to assist in the taxi violence cases even though he was not officially involved in the investigations.
He was questioned about Mthakathi’s reasons for giving him the list of cases involving Sibanyoni, and what actions he took upon receiving the information.
He replied that he did nothing about the information shared with him, adding that he was not involved in any of the cases.
Nkosi, however, did discuss the cases with Sibanyoni, as Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi had asked him to arrange a meeting with Sibanyoni to address the allegations against him.
That was after Mkhwanazi was deployed by former Police Minister Bheki Cele to handle the taxi violence matter.
Nkosi told the commission that he did not mention to Mkhwanazi that Msibi had already independently asked him to look into allegations involving Sibanyoni.
He said he knew Sibanyoni through his past friendship with the late Msibi, and that Sibanyoni was suspected of orchestrating violence against Msibi’s taxis following the his death.
Nkosi testified that the relationship between Msibi and Sibanyoni had soured before Msibi’s death.
“This is because before Msibi died they were no longer on good terms. They were fighting,” Nkosi said.
He testified that Sibanyoni denied involvement in the taxi violence.
He also claimed he attempted to broker peace between the rival taxi factions with Sibanyoni’s assistance — a version of events that appeared to raise concern from the commissioners.