Xavier Radio Ug News 24 7
Crime expert Willem Els has raised concerns that some Special Task Force members are now being recruited by organised crime syndicates because of the skills they possess.
The remarks come in light of the arrest of a suspect in the murder of Marius van der Merwe, also known as Witness-D at the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria.
Matipandile Sotheni, a former member of the SAPS Special Task Force, briefly appeared in the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court facing six charges, including murder and attempted murder.
Police believe that he is the gunman who shot and killed Van der Merwe outside his home in Brakpan in December last year.
Els says the suspect’s badge indicates that he is a trained sniper.
“It is very sad that we see that in order to train one these members costs us around R1.6 million, so it’s an expensive investment of the police to actually train them to be some of the best. But also because of their skills that they have now they are also being targeted by your organised crime syndicates that pay much better than what the police will ever pay,” explains Els.
Witness D | Marius van der Merwe murder case postponed:
Meanwhile, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it will oppose bail for 41-year-old Sotheni.
NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana says Sotheni faces six charges, including three counts of attempted murder, murder, premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder and possession of unlicensed ammunition.
“One, it is a Schedule Six offence. Number two, because of the seriousness of the crime, you must remember that the investigation will lead us to other aspects, as we still need to obtain his criminal profile to determine whether he has other cases.”
“That will therefore inform us how we move forward. But at face value, because of the nature of the crime, it is a Schedule Six offence and the state will oppose bail,” says Mahanjana.
www.sabcnews.com, https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/stf-members-recruited-by-organised-crime-syndicates-worrisome/
