Armed and Dangerous: Police Hunt Suspect in IFP Deputy Chief Whip’s Murder, R60,000 Reward Offered

• The South African Police Service has launched a manhunt for a suspect believed to be armed and dangerous
• This comes after the fatal shooting of Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) deputy chief whip Khethamabala Sithole
• A reward has been issued for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of Zamani Ngila Ximba

Gauteng police have announced a R60,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Zamani Ngila Ximba, who is wanted in connection with the murder of Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) deputy chief whip Khethamabala Sithole.

What happened to Sithole?

Sithole served as a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in 2009 and 2019 before the party redeployed him to the National Assembly, where he served as the deputy chief whip.

Sithole was shot and killed on 31 May during a ward meeting at Buyafuthi Hostel in Katlehong. Two other individuals were also wounded in the incident.

Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng, confirmed that Ximba is the primary suspect. He is wanted for murder and two counts of attempted murder. Police described him as tall, dark in complexion, and considered armed and dangerous.

The police urged anyone with information on Ximba’s whereabouts.

South Africans weigh in

Social media users shared their opinions about the brutal killing of the chief whip.

@BigDhara11 said:

"IFP founder Mangosuthu butelezi was a cult inkabi ,a tribalist,racist,murderer who shed a lot of blood of innocent souls in KZN he lived on murder ."

@BigDhara11 said:

"The murder of an MP strikes at our democracy itself. Someone knows where this guy is hiding."

@Kingsley_the1st said:

"Rewards get put up when it’s a politician, no search parties when it’s a tax paying citizen."

@phuti_mathobela said:

"He is already in his country outside South Africa this one."

@SelloMokone6 said:

"He must not run to KZN if he knows what's good for him."

@MSM1075421 said:

"Let the judge and his lawyer find him. Oh and @MYANC must find him too. They allowed the whole Africa here."

@MSM1075421 said:

"Clearly he was arrested. Whoever gave him bail must be held accountable."

@Petro96941111 said:

"The the problem we have now police can't be trusted."

Politicians who were killed

• An EFF member was gunned down in his home in Ga-botha in Limpopo on 26 May 2023, and the police found him with a gunshot wound to his neck.
• Three members of the Abantu Batho Congress (ABC) were found dead in March 2024, days after they went missing in KwaZulu-Natal.
• A Mpumalanga African National Congress councillor was gunned down in his home in Tonga in April, and his wife survived the attack.
• A member of the MK Party was brutally murdered in Cato Manor in KwaZulu-Natal on 5 June while dropping his child at the creche.
• A regional leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) was killed during a protest in Alexandria, Johannesburg in August when police allegedly fired bullets to disperse a crowd.

MK Pary members killed after clash in Katlehong

In a related article, Briefly News reported that two members of the MK Party were gunned down when a fight broke out between them and members of the ANC.

The incident happened in May, days before the 2024 general elections. One of the ANC members pulled a gun out and shot the two MK Party members.

Source: Briefly News