The man pictured here is wanted for questioning by the police. It is believed he may have information that could help in the investigation of the murder of Siphiwe Selby Nhlapo, one of eight gay men murdered across Gauteng in a similar fashion.
The police are calling on the public to help find Nhlanhla Msimango, who they believe may provide vital information on Nhlapo’s murder. Anyone with any information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Captain Happy Vilankulu of the provincial police’s task team on 082 719 8373.
While Msimango appears to have vanished from his home in Soweto, his cousin was arrested on Friday last week at his home in Orlando in connection with the murder. Phumlani Msimango was charged with housebreaking and robbery with aggravated circumstances at the Protea Magistrate’s Court on Monday, but police are still looking for another culprit.
Phumlani will be kept in custody until he applies for bail on Monday.
When The Star originally reported on the first four deaths in October last year, police said there was no reason to believe the crimes were linked. But four more murders came to light. Each involved gay men being found bound and murdered in their homes.
Many of the victims were believed to have online dating profiles and used cellphone dating services to meet men. They could therefore have met their killer online.
The latest victim, theatre manager Rulov Senekal, was found bound and suffocated in his home on February 26 after a meeting with two men in his apartment the night before. His online dating profile indicated he had logged on the night before his death. Police have CCTV footage of the two men leaving the building, appearing to take a laptop and a plastic bag with some other goods with them.
Police are unable to release these images in a similar bid to find the men as the pictures are of poor quality.
Anyone with any information on the cases or who knows the whereabouts of Nhlanhla Msimango is asked to contact Crime Line on 08600 10111 or call Captain Vilankulu on 082 719 8373. - The Star