South Africans Debate Gardee Family’s R19 Million SAPS Lawsuit in Hillary’s Murder Case

• The Gardee family has launched another civil lawsuit in relation to the kidnapping and murder of Hillary Gardee
• Hillary, the daughter of the Deputy President of the Economic Freedom Fighters, was murdered in 2022
• EFF Mpumalanga leader Collen Sedibe said the lawsuit was intended to hold people accountable

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

MPUMALANGA — The family of slain Hillary Gardee has filed a civil claim of R19 million against the South African Police Service (SAPS), sparking a debate online about the decision.

The family alleged that corrupt conduct by SAPS officers directly enabled the 2022 kidnapping and murder of their daughter. Gardee was 28 years old when she disappeared outside a supermarket in Mbombela on 29 April 2022. Her body was found four days later near the Sabie road in Mpumalanga.

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She was the daughter of Godrich Gardee, the Deputy President of the Economic Freedom Fighters.

Why are the family taking the police to court?

Court papers in the matter allege that a vehicle previously seized by police following a theft and its alleged link to another violent offence was unlawfully returned and subsequently used to abduct and kill Hillary.

EFF Mpumalanga leader and Gardee family spokesperson, Collen Sedibe, attributed the crime directly to police misconduct, saying the accused had access to a resource he should never have been given.

"It has now emerged, four years later, that the accused Rassie Nkuna was able to commit the crime of killing our daughter and four other people, because of SAPS officers' complicity.

“The South African police enabled the crime through corrupt release of the instrument of crime, which is the car or the vehicle that was used to kidnap our daughter," Sedibe said.

Family not motivated by financial gain

Sedibe was clear that the family was not primarily motivated by financial gain, describing the litigation as a means of extracting accountability from the police service.

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"Money will not buy the life of our daughter, it will not bring her back, it's just a process to teach the police a lesson because if it were not for the corrupt availability of the instrument of crime, which is that stolen vehicle, five lives would not have been lost, including that of our daughter," he said.

He added that the family held the Minister of Police vicariously liable for the conduct of officers who allegedly facilitated the release of an impounded stolen vehicle to a criminal.

Gardee family’s broader accountability efforts

The civil claim against SAPS forms part of wider legal action by the Gardee family. A separate R18 million lawsuit has been filed against the Department of Justice and Correctional Services, alleging that officials failed to act on parole violations by convicted serial killer Hlabirwa Rassie Nkuna before he targeted Hillary. Nkuna has since been handed multiple life sentences for the murders of other victims.

In 2026, the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry agreed to examine the case following public allegations by suspended Mpumalanga Police Commissioner Semakaleng Manamela, who claimed senior police generals interfered with the original investigation and tampered with evidence.

How did South Africans react?

Social media users weighed in on the news, sharing a mix of reactions to the family’s plans.

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Munyai Frank III said:

“I don’t think this will hold water in court - there is no vicarious liability. It’s simply a criminal matter that must be treated as such.”

Diff Tleane asked:

“How must the State or police be held liable for wrongdoing, may I ask? The person who commissioned the act of driving the police vehicle needs to be prosecuted.”

Mandla Mbuzeli stated:

“In action proceedings, the burden of proof is on the plaintiff. He who alleges must prove. Let's wait and see.”

Sonny Reddy added:

“You are justified, brother. It’s all an inside job. It’s a cover-up to delay.”

Makhosonke Tony King said:

“I wish to read the court papers. This is going to be a good precedent if it is not settled out of court. These lawsuits will straighten the government.”

Amos Sekhaulelo exclaimed:

"As a father, I was going to do the same thing. No parent deserves what your family went through, Mr Gardee. It's heartbreaking to see families suffer like this."

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Rassie Nkuna bought vehicles while in prison

Briefly News reported that Rassie Nkuna used money he received from cash-in-transit heists to buy vehicles while behind bars.

Nkuna was granted parole in 2022, despite being a high-risk offender, and then went on to commit several murders, including that of his girlfriend.

The convicted cash-in-transit heist robber also reportedly confessed to killing Hillary Gardee in April 2022, while he was on parole.

Source: Briefly News