EASTERN CAPE – Simphiwe Mlinjani (44) appeared in Butterworth Magistrate’s Court on 14 October 2022 for allegations of conspiracy to commit murder, police killing, illegal possession of firearm and ammunition.

This is subsequent to his arrest by the East London based Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation on 12 October 2022 at Fort Beaufort on his way to Whittlesea in the Eastern Cape from Outshoorn where he had been residing lately.

It is alleged that on 30 August 2021, a police Warrant Officer Kulu who was attached to Centane SAPS was shot and killed at his Ndabakazi homestead in Butterworth after his wife had allegedly conspired to kill him with a group of seven suspects from Queenstown. The conspiracy is reported to have taken a year before execution. The suspects are alleged to have been approached with the hope of getting a payment of R1 million from the pay-out of the would-be deceased’s life cover should the murder be successful.

Six suspects were arrested including the wife of the deceased in October 2021. The recently arrested accused has been traced by the investigating officer since March 2022 to no avail until Tuesday, 12 October 2022.

The accused will join his other six co-accused in the Butterworth Regional Court on 17 October 2022.

Source: South African Police Service