Zama Zama Kingpin’s Killers Still on the Loose, No Arrests Made As SAPS Investigate Kidnapping and Murder

• Gauteng police have made no headway in finding the killers of an alleged zama zama kingpin in the West Rand of Johannesburg
• The mastermind of one of the many illegal mining operations in the city was kidnapped by a suspected rival gang
• The police mobilised resources, including an official helicopter, to find the man but eventually discovered his body dumped days later

JOHANNESBURG - The kidnapping and murder of an alleged zama zama kingpin has the South African Police Service (SAPS) scrambling to find the man's killer.

The police mobilised resources to find the people responsible for the crime but have failed to make any arrests in the murder investigation, News24 reported.

Zama Zama kingpin kidnapped by rival gang

A suspected rival gang kidnapped Ntuta Sechaba on Thursday, 3 August, from a parking lot in Randfontein in the West Rand of Johannesburg. His kidnappers allegedly demanded a R1 million ransom for his release.

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A day later, the police were deployed to search for Sechaba, with a chopper scouring the run Randfontien area for a trace of the man.

According to EWN, Sechaba was one of four known zama zama kingpins operating in the West Rand and allegedly had close ties to high-ranking police officials in the SAPS.

The zama zama kingpin's body was found dumped in the field on Monday, 31 August.

South Africans criticise the hunt for zama zama kingpins killers

Below are some comments:

@teezthato asked:

"Why would they waste state resources for the killings of a kingpin? He was a criminal, for goodness sake."

@HonourableMembr criticised:

"But they never hunt zama zamas."

@MRamohlala said:

"Let it rest it doesn’t matter spare the resources for the taxi strike in Cape Town, man."

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Riverlea zama zamas accuse police of targeting “workers” and not kingpins of illegal mining operation

@Bri65an speculated:

"This guy was silenced so that people will never know who the real funders of zama zamas are. Someone up there is buying the gold."

@UnityInSA commented:

"This story is actually an indication of how far down South Africa and its police forces and Government have reached. Zama Zamas have made South Africa their playground."

@motsebore_l added:

"Why are they wasting our valuable resources? They should be hunting the zama zamas themselves."

Riverlea zama zamas accuse police of targeting “workers” and not kingpins of illegal mining operation

In another story, Briefly News reported that suspected illegal miners arrested in the Zimimpilo informal settlement next to Riverlea, Johannesburg, accused the authorities of targeting zama zamas.

Three men were arrested, on Thursday, 3 August, after emerging from a hole that police had previously closed during an operation to curb illegal mining activities in Riverlea.

One of the zama zama harshly criticised the police claiming they were not going after the masterminds of the illegal mining operation even though their identities were known, News24 reported.

Source: Briefly News