Gugulethu police are investigating a murder case following the killing of a community leader at Europe informal settlement on Friday 15 August.
Zwelandile ‘Çhuku’ Mlambo was reportedly gunned down outside the gate of the local councillor’s house.
Provincial police spokesperson Sgt Wesley Twigg confirmed that a 44-year-old male was shot and fatally wounded at approximately 19:15. He said the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
“Officers attended the crime scene where they found the victim with gunshot wounds to his head. The victim was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. The motive for the attack forms part of the officer’s investigation,” said Twigg.
He added that suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested.
A community leader who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal said the neighbourhood has been tense since the shooting. He described Mlambo as a humble person. “We lost not just a leader but a warrior. He wasn’t talking a lot. He was a man of his words,” he said.
The leader said Mlambo was shot five times in the upper body, including a shot in the face. He said the attack was well-orchestrated.
According to the leader, Mlambo was shot and killed in front of the councillor’s shack.
“According to the report that we received, Mlambo was at Bongani Ngcombolo‘s shack (Ward 40 councillor) a few minutes before he was killed,” stated the leader.
The deceased was reportedly with Ngcombolo before the shooting. He left the house to buy wine and came under fire when he returned from buying the alcohol.
Shots were fired while he was waiting for Ngcombolo to open the gate, explained the leader. “Before the councillor came out, the gun shots started,” he explained.
Ngcombolo is reportedly in hiding fearing for his life. “We don’t know where the councillor is. He left after the incident,” said the leader.
City Vision reached out to Ngcombolo but his phone went unanswered.
