KZN ANCYL leader held over municipal official's murder
Police comb the scene around Oscar Hlatshwayo, the Alfred Duma (Ladysmith) municipality’s executive director of engineering and infrastructure services who was gunned down on Thursday. Picture: Ladysmith Herald / Claudine Senekal Police comb the scene around Oscar Hlatshwayo, the Alfred Duma (Ladysmith) municipality’s executive director of engineering and infrastructure services who was gunned down on Thursday. Picture: Ladysmith Herald / Claudine Senekal
Durban - An ANC Youth League (ANCYL) leader in the province has been arrested for the murder of a municipal official this month.
Oscar Hlatshwayo, executive director of engineering and infrastructure services at the Alfred Duma (Emnambithi/Ladysmith) local municipality, died in a hail of bullets on Francis Road, Ladysmith, after dropping off his two children at a local school on February 7.
Hlatshwayo was driving his Jaguar along Francis Road when he was ambushed.
The special task team appointed to investigate political killings in KZN by Police Minister Bheki Cele on Monday seized a youth league leader in the Okhahlamba local municipality region in connection with the murder.
It was not clear if the man was arrested or taken in for questioning.
On Monday, senior officials at Alfred Duma and uThukela district municipalities told the Daily News that the ANCYL leader’s car was caught on camera in the vicinity of the murder scene just before the shooting.
“It is a relief that someone has been arrested. All we need is for him to tell the truth.
"Rumour has it that there exists a list with names of more people to be killed and if that’s true, then we have a problem on our hands.
"Because this boy is still young, I hope he will get scared and spill the beans and whoever is behind this barbaric behaviour should be brought to book,” said one official.
Hlatshwayo was tasked by the municipality with ensuring that there was coordination of all technical and infrastructure items and matters related to the merger of the Emnambithi/Ladysmith municipality with the Indaka municipality.
“He was strict and followed proper procedure in everything he did and he took his job very seriously. That led to his murder by individuals who lived by bending the rules.
"Hlatshwayo must have been viewed as a stumbling block in the process of giving jobs or contracts to pals. What else could be the reason for his murder?
"We feel threatened to an extent that every time you wake up, you wonder if you’ll make it through the day. We have families to think about and politics is not bigger than our families,” said another official.
Alfred Duma municipal manager Sxolile Ngiba said she had not been informed of the arrest, but welcomed the development. “We must let the law take its course,” she said.
ANCYL Okhahlamba region chairperson Nhlanhla Nkosi said they had heard of the arrest, but had no details.
“We understand he was taken by the police and he has not been answering his phone, so we don’t have the details of the arrest. He may have been taken in for questioning or was arrested. We don’t know as yet. If he doesn’t return this afternoon (yesterday) we will go to the police station on Monday (today) for an explanation,” Nkosi said.
ANC Okhahlamba acting regional secretary Sifiso Mdakane said he was gathering information on the arrest and a statement would be issued once details were available.
Cele’s spokesperson Reneilwe Serero said she could not find a record of the arrest on Monday.