Durban - The Mpofana (Mooi River) Municipality’s former chief financial officer, Simo Mncwabe, who was ambushed and murdered in front of his young children in Pietermaritzburg early on Wednesday, had allegedly received threatening messages for months.
He resigned allegedly because of the threats, and Tuesday was his last working day. He was shot in front of his daughters, aged 13 and 3.
His brother, Jabulani Mncwabe, said on Wednesday night the older daughter was traumatised.
The younger child did not seem to understand. The family was in shock, he said.
Police spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Shooz Magudulela, said Mncwabe, from Henley location near Edendale Township, was driving his vehicle when he was ambushed by an unknown man wearing dark clothes and a black hat.
He tried to escape with his vehicle, but lost control and collided with a concrete wall. The suspect then shot him. The children had minor injuries from the crash.
The motive was unknown and no arrests had been made.
Mncwabe, 39, sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and right hand. Eight spent rifle cartridges were found at the scene.
Councillors in the town speculated on the motive. The IFP’s Mthembeni Majola said it could have been work-related. While the DA’s Nhlalayenza Ndlovu agreed, he said it could have also been related to taxi violence because Mncwabe had owned a taxi.
Majola said Mncwabe had wanted to resign previously because of the threats, but was persuaded not to.
“We (the IFP) suggested he get bodyguards, but the ANC opposed it, there were a lot of people interfering in his job from the inside and outside. He was trying to enhance our revenue,” he said.
Majola said Mncwabe had had a plan to stop electricity theft by introducing smart metering after the elections and that people were unhappy.
The town was running at a complete loss on electricity because of illegal connections.
Ndlovu said Mncwabe had tried his best to sustain the municipality and had been doing a good job.
The town’s ANC mayor, Maureen Magubane, said Mncwabe’s death was shocking.
“We did not expect such a thing to happen. He was a good guy.”
She could not think of any reason why someone would want him dead and denied knowing about the threats. She declined to comment on the bodyguards.
The MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, called for calm in the area and condemned violence in the run-up to elections.
The Mercury