Gauteng Police Probe Killing of Five Men Linked to Mamelodi's Boko Haram Gang

• Gauteng police are probing the death of five people found dumped on an open field near Cullinan
• The men were alleged to be part of the Boko Haram gang which tried to extort a construction site near Bronkhorstspruit
• It is believed that after their extortion attempt, the men were abducted, tortured, killed, and then dumped

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who has covered crime and current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

Gauteng police are investigating the murder of five men believed to be part of the infamous extortionist Mamelodi gang, Boko Haram.

Eric Sibiya, Siphiwe Sibeko, Bheki Chauke, Kgala Phathi and Gladwin Maphanga were reportedly found in an open field near Cullinan, Pretoria, on 23 July 2024.

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Mamelodi's Boko Haram attempts to extort R568 construction

According to News 24, on 22 July 2024, the deceased men were part of a group of about a dozen that allegedly disrupted a construction site on the R568 roadway, which connects Siyabuswa and Bronkhorstspruit. The men supposedly demanded a 30% share in the R120-million refurbishment project. An X post by @Abramjee alleged that the men were later abducted, tortured and killed before their bodies were dumped.

The SAPS’ Colonel Mavela Masondo said, through a statement, that they had opened a case of five counts of murder after the bodies that were riddled with gunshot wounds were found:

“The motive for the killing cannot be confirmed at this stage, and police are searching for suspects, and no arrests have been made yet.”

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Mzansi on Mamelodi's Boko Haram

While some netizens speculated on who the people behind the killings were, others were confused by the gang's name, which was derived from a jihadist group that operates in north-west Africa.

@mafiwa2 said:

“The construction companies now have their own hit men on retainer; South Africa is a mafia state officially. I call went out after the altercation, and arrangements were made.”

@DDT_PM wondered:

“So the police want to waste their resources looking for the killers of terrorists unless I'm missing something.”

@TheGeopol commented:

“Good; if SAPS fails to deal with the construction mafia, then people will do it themselves.”

@iamchris_TK explained:

“Good riddance. These guys cause trouble for every business. If it’s not projects like that, it's local property rental owners or shop owners.”

@kthema468 added:

“They should just close the cases...because those people did what the police are failing to do.”

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EFF councillor accused of employing construction mafia

In related Briefly News, an EFF councillor was accused of trying to extort R6 million from a construction company in Mpumalanga.

Nyankwabe Mnisi was believed to be the leader of a group that used construction mafia tactics in Mbombela.

Mnisi, however, refuted the claims and alleged that he was asking for the money on behalf of the Mataffin community.

Source: Briefly News