Cape Town - The body of a medical doctor believed to have been killed for extortion, was found in the boot of a car in Gugulethu.
Police have confirmed the possible motive for the murder is extortion.
The victim has been identified as Dr Pero Emmanuel Ngwashele, 39, who had previously been arrested in 2019 following an investigation and inspection by Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) where he claimed that he had obtained his doctorate in Congo.
Ngwashele was not registered with the HPCSA and was subsequently arrested due to this. He was later released on bail.
“In an effort to verify various sick notes, the Inspectorate office conducted an inspection in Khayelitsha at the practice of Dr MV Bikitsha who is registered with Council. Dr Pero Emmanuel Ngwashele was found practising at the practise of Dr Bikitsha to which he confirmed that he has a Bachelor of Medicine which he obtained in Congo, however, he is not registered with HPCSA. He was arrested and detained at the Lingelethu West Police Station and released on bail,” HPCSA said in a statement at the time.
Ngwashele had been stabbed several times and the spare wheel of the car had been removed in order to fit his body.
Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said the victim were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel.
“The unknown suspect/s who fled the scene are yet to be arrested. We have reason to believe that the motive behind the attack is extortion.
It is believed Ngwashele’s killers had demanded thousands of rands after apparently hijacking him in Samora Machel earlier this week.
Community leaders in Gugulethu said they were aware of the murder and did not want to comment prematurely.
Mark van der Heever from the Western Cape Government Health Department said it was important for practising doctors to be registered with the HPCSA.
“The Department is committed to quality care and ethical standards of providing patient care. This is reflected in all procurement processes as we only procure the services of locum doctors and nurses via registered agencies. Part of the agreement with any agency is that they provide us with locums who are in good standing in terms of professional registration.
“The agency is required to check that all the registrations with the HPCSA are valid and that the required medical qualifications are met. The Department then also verifies the validity of the recommended locum’s credentials on the HPCSA’s website,” he said.
Anyone with information that can assist with the investigation are urged to call Crime Stop on 08600 10111.