Latest news with #DJSumbody
TimesLIVE
35 minutes ago
- TimesLIVE
DJ Vintos hit linked to DJ Sumbody murder accused KT Molefe
Sandton businessman Katiso 'KT' Molefe, 61, who is accused of the murder of Pretoria club owner Oupa John Sefoka, better known as DJ Sumbody, is allegedly linked to a hit on Soweto's DJ Vintos. This emerged after a brief appearance by Molefe and co-accused Michael Pule Tau, Tiego Floyd Mabusela and Musa Kekana at the Alexandra magistrate's court on Tuesday. The four are charged with the April 2024 murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart, who was killed in an alleged case of mistaken identity after his company blew the whistle on tender corruption. The three co-accused were arrested in connection with the Swart case and the weapons, an AK47 rifles and three pistols, allegedly found in their possession were sent for ballistics tests. The weapons led police to the November 2022 murder of DJ Sumbody and his two bodyguards, Sibusiso Mokoena and Sandile Myeza, in Woodmead, Johannesburg.
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Connections emerge between the murders of South Africa's top DJs
The Alexandra Magistrate's Court has postponed the murder case against DJ Sumbody after four men who were arrested on Monday appeared in court on Tuesday. Image: X DJ Sumbody, DJ Vintos, Armand Swart, and Don Tindleni were killed using the same AK-47, and all died in the same way after they were killed in a hail of bullets at different times, arguably by the same suspects. This was revealed by the South African Police outside the Alexandra Magistrates Court on Tuesday for the appearance of alleged hitmen Musa Kekana, Michael Pule Tau, and Floyd Mabusela, who are now charged with the murder of Don Tindleni. Speaking outside Alexandra Magistrates Court, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe stated that the guns used to kill DJ Sumbody are the same as the ones used for DJ Vintos, Armand Swart, and Don Tindleni. The court postponed the bail application of the alleged mastermind behind Oupa Sefoka's murder, popularly known as DJ Sumbody to August 6, and all the accused were remanded in custody. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Mathe was speaking following the court appearance of Katiso 'KT' Molefe - who is believed to have ordered the hit - and was expected to apply for bail. The four each face three counts of murder and charges of unlawful possession of guns. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe indicated that the four men who are accused of killing DJ Sumbody have also been charged with the murders of DJ Vintos and Don Tindleni, with reports that DJ Vintos was gunned down outside a nightclub in Orlando East in March 2022. "This case relates to the murder of Hecter Buthelezi, DJ Vintos, as he was popularly known. He was killed in March 2022, outside a nightclub in Orlando East. He was killed in a hail of bullets. At the time, the suspects were driving a BMW X3. His killers were never found. We then moved on to the same year in November, where DJ Sumbody and his two bodyguards, Sibusiso Mokoena and Sandile Myeza, were also assassinated and killed in a hail of bullets in Woodmead. We then move on to March 2023, which is the second case of Tindleni," said Mathe. Tindleni, who was killed on the N1, near the N17 offramp while he was inside his 5 series BMW, was killed in a hail of bullets. That case was never solved. "We then move to April 2024, Armand Swart, who was then killed in a case of mistaken identity hit. Our investigation has brought us to this point, where we are linking the AK-47 as well as the three pistols that were found on the Armand Swart case. We are linking them to the killing of Armand Swart, DJ Vintos, and we are linking that same AK-47 to the killing of DJ Sumbody, his body guards as well as the Don Tindleni murder. "We have said previously that we do not only have the ballistic expert report that links these suspects to these hits, but there is other overwhelming evidence," said Mathe.
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
AK-47 used in DJ Sumbody's murder linked to 3 more killings, including DJ Vintos
Police have linked the same AK-47 used in the high-profile murder of South African musician DJ Sumbody to more additional killings. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed that the AK-47 used in the killing of popular musician DJ Sumbody has now been linked to three additional murders, including that of Soweto-based Hector 'DJ Vintos' Buthelezi. Businessman Katiso Molefe, former police officer Michael Pule Tau, Tiego Floyd Mabusela, and Musa Kekana appeared in the Alexander Magistrate's Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning. Three of the four men accused in the assassination of DJ Sumbody, whose real name was Oupa John Sefoka, now also face an additional charge related to the murder of Don Tindleni. All four are charged with DJ Vintos' murder. DJ Vintos was gunned down in March 2022 outside a nightclub in Orlando East, Soweto. Speaking outside the court, national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said the suspects were traveling in a BMW X3 at the time of the shooting.
The Citizen
a day ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
DJ Sumbody's murder exposes connection between crime and power
'The whole issue of killings of whistleblowers and assassinations generally is massively interlinked with procurement corruption.' DJ Sumbody at the Crypto Knight on 22 July 2022 in Midrand. Picture: Gallo Images/Oupa Bopape On a quiet November night in 2022, DJ Sumbody – a rising star in South Africa's music scene — was gunned down in a hail of bullets while heading home. Then, in April 2024, engineer Armand Swart was executed in a similar shooting after his company flagged a suspicious government tender in which prices had been inflated by over 4,500 percent. But dramatic arrests this week are tying those murders and many more together, exposing a murky underworld where criminals consort with political bigwigs for lucrative state tenders. The arrests came after explosive allegations by a senior police chief who accused the force and South Africa's police minister of a cover-up. ALSO READ: Malema accuses Kunene of lying about relationship with man accused of murdering DJ Sumbody Deep-rooted procurement corruption has seeped through every level of government for decades, security researcher David Bruce told AFP. 'The whole issue of killings of whistleblowers and assassinations generally is massively interlinked with that issue,' said Bruce, a consultant with the Institute for Security Studies. DJ Sumbody arrests Among those arrested this week are a former Johannesburg police officer at the time of DJ Sumbody's murder, as well as the prime suspect, a businessman named Katiso Molefe. British media have reported that a South African man of the same name and age as Molefe was sentenced to four years in prison in the United Kingdom in 2003 for drug trafficking. Two other men, already in custody for the 2023 attempted murder of former reality TV star turned influencer Tebogo Thobejane, are also believed to have played a role. It doesn't end there. ALSO READ: Firearms used in DJ Sumbody's murder linked to 10 other high-profile cases During the raid on Monday, police found prominent Johannesburg politician, Kenny Kunene, at Molefe's home. Kunene, a Johannesburg city council member, has since been suspended by his party leader, Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie, though police have not formally implicated him. Kunene denied any wrongdoing, saying he was merely trying to assist a journalist seeking to interview Molefe. 'Tenderpreneurs' At the centre of the widening web is businessman Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala, described locally as a 'tenderpreneur', a term referring to individuals who have made fortunes through government contracts. Also, the head of a private security firm, Matlala, was arrested in May in connection with the 2023 attempt on his ex-partner Thobejane's life. Thobejane, famous for her role in the long-running local soap opera Muvhango, denied having 'snitched' on Matlala earlier this month. 'I am a victim,' she told News24. In 2024, Matlala secured a $20 million contract with the national police — now cancelled — despite being implicated in a $125 million public hospital embezzlement scandal. ALSO READ: DJ Sumbody's family welcomes arrests of suspects, thank police The Tembisa hospital case cost whistleblower Babita Deokaran her life in 2021, when she was shot nine times outside her home. No arrests have been made in Deokaran's killing, reflecting the impunity that reigns, with only 11 percent of murders solved, according to 2024 police statistics. 'All these three cases are linked somehow,' police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe said, referring to DJ Sumbody, Swart and Thobejane. Four weapons, including the AK-47 rifle used to kill DJ Sumbody, have been linked through ballistics to at least 10 high-profile cases, she added. Police minister accused The implications run deep. KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi last month accused colleagues and Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of burying investigations targeting Matlala. In a bombshell televised press conference, flanked by armed security forces, Mkhwanazi alleged Mchunu had received payments from a corruption suspect and accused prosecutors of delaying justice. 'We do hope that pretty soon we might find some changes with good dedicated prosecutors and we might see arrests happening,' he said, adding that cases of murdered artists would finally 'come to the fore'. President Cyril Ramaphosa has since suspended Mchunu and announced a judicial inquiry into the allegations. But there has been no tangible action. ALSO READ: DJ Sumbody's friend, DJ Vettys in a 'stable condition' says manager, after being shot South Africa faces one of the world's highest murder rates, averaging more than 75 killings a day. Politically motivated contract killings have surged 108 percent over the past decade, according to a 2024 report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime. Studies show hiring a contract killer can cost as little as $145 in a country all too accustomed to violence. 'It's easier to silence someone with a bullet than contend with an investigation,' said Chad Thomas, head of private investigation company IRS Forensic.
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Joburg council has 'no jurisdiction over Kunene, it's a police matter' Morero
Kunene's resignation came after the PA deputy leader was seen at the home of Katiso 'KT' Molefe. Former MMC of transport, Kenny Kunene during the War On Potholes campaign launch at Ward 90, Hyde Park on 10 July 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Picture: Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo City of Johannesburg executive mayor Dada Morero says the city's council no longer has jurisdiction over former transport MMC Kenny Kunene, now that he has resigned, and that it has become a 'police matter.' The suspended Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy president resigned as a councillor in the city of Johannesburg with immediate effect on Saturday. Resignation Kunene's resignation came after the PA deputy leader was seen at the home of Katiso 'KT' Molefe, who has been arrested in connection with the murder of popular South African DJ Oupa John Sefoka, known as DJ Sumbody. His presence at the scene raised eyebrows, prompting PA leader Gayton McKenzie to suspend him as the party's deputy president and MMC for transport in Johannesburg. 'Police matter' Morero said it's now up to the police to investigate the matter. 'Council works quite differently. He has resigned as a counsellor, meaning he's no longer part of council, and council, therefore does not have jurisdiction over him in terms of our own code of conduct as councillors. 'It's a matter for the police and his party to investigate the matter of his being in the place of the guy who is alleged to have been involved in criminal activity. So it's not our matter, it's a police matter, and it's a matter of the party. With us, he has given us a resignation, so the council has therefore officially released him as a councillor,' Morero said. City of Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero says that there is nothing the Council can do regarding Patriotic Alliance's Kenny Kunene's conduct now that he has resigned. 'It is now a police matter,' he says. #SouthAfricaTonight #DStv403 #QuestionThinkAct — eNCA (@eNCA) July 26, 2025 ALSO READ: McKenzie suspends Kunene amid DJ Sumbody murder probe [VIDEO] Allegations Kunene insisted the allegations against him were 'unfounded'. Kunene said he is proud of the contributions he made during his time as councillor and MMC. The PA will now have to consider a replacement for Kunene's now-vacant seat on the Johannesburg city council. In an explosive revelation this week, Kunene confirmed that he was at Molefe's house when police arrived to arrest the suspected killer. Kunene claims he was at Molefe's house to facilitate a meeting for a journalist from his online publication, Africa Global News, for a 'potential exclusive story'. DJ Sumbody was killed in Woodmead in a hail of bullets in the early hours of Sunday, 20 November 2022. ALSO READ: DJ Sumbody's family welcomes the arrests of suspects and thanks police
