PRETORIA – A multidisciplinary team of seasoned detectives and crime intelligence officers has been assembled to investigate the murder of Andile Mvuyiselwa Somgaxa, Gauteng leader of the March and March movement, who died in hospital last week after being shot in his driveway.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) acting national commissioner, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, announced the formation of the specialist team in consultation with Gauteng provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, following the 3 July shooting.
Somgaxa was shot by unknown assailants at his home in Greenfield, Ekurhuleni, and succumbed to his injuries on 13 July. The attackers remain at large.
March and March emerged as the primary organisation leading the anti-migrant protests that swept across South Africa on 30 June, when thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg and Gqeberha. The movement, headed nationally by Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, set an unofficial deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country, a demand the government rejected as false and unlawful.
The protests, which began with smaller gatherings in April, drew more than 15 000 participants in Durban alone. Whilst largely peaceful, the demonstrations were marked by isolated incidents of looting, intimidation and violence. Official figures show that more than 25 000 foreign nationals were repatriated in the period between 1 March and 30 June, with authorities recording at least 103 cases of anti-immigrant violence and 195 arrests.
Following the 30 June protests, Ngobese-Zuma announced that the campaign would continue with weekly demonstrations on Thursdays until the November local government elections.
Dimpane strongly condemned the attack on Somgaxa and assured the public that SAPS would leave no stone unturned in ensuring those responsible are identified, traced and brought to justice.
“The appointment of the team underscores the seriousness with which SAPS is treating this matter. We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding this murder and to ensure accountability,” Dimpane said.
The announcement comes ahead of a memorial service for Somgaxa scheduled for today at Greenfield Community Hall. National spokesperson for March and March, Sandile Dube, confirmed the proceedings would start at Palmridge Road, proceeding towards the hall under the theme “We March for Justice, We March for Change, We March for Andile”.
“We will march to Eden Park Police Station to demand answers from the police regarding the murder of one of our leaders, Somgaxa,” Dube said.
The movement’s spokesperson added that March and March had received multiple death threats due to the group’s stance on illegal migration, but vowed to continue and intensify weekly Thursday demonstrations in Gauteng.
“We call on law enforcement authorities to get to the bottom of this matter, as it is bound to exert unnecessary tensions in various communities. We call on South Africans to honour the life of a fellow patriot and marcher, Somgaxa, whose legacy will never be allowed to die in vain,” Dube said.
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