Gunman Linked To 2013 Murder
Sharon Mathala | Monday October 26, 2015 18:00
The Monitor is informed that witnesses identified the suspect in 2013 but police failed to arrest him because they had insufficient evidence. One of the witnesses, who said he was in the same car with Mpatane when he was gunned down in a drive-by-shooting at Riverwalk Mall, said he and others gave the police the name and description of the gunman.
“We told them, we told the police who he was and what he looked like,” The Monitor source said on condition of anonymity. “But they said that because it was dark, our description was not enough to make any arrest.”
When quizzed if the police have contacted them after they made the arrest on Thursday night, the source said “I have since chosen to recuse myself from the matter, they contacted one of my uncles but I do not know how the conversation went”.
Back in 2013, the witness said, a scuffle took place between the 26-year-old Mpatane and the gunman. After pushing and shoving, Mpatane and his companions drove away but the gunman and his friends followed them. The chase ended with Mpatane shot twice in the head. He died after a week in the Intensive Care Unit at Princess Marina Hospital.
Fast forward to 2015. The same gunman is suspected to have shot and killed Montshiwa on October 18. According to a neighbour, a red Golf GTI had pulled up at Montshiwa’s driveway before a gun went off.
Witnesses described the killer as a man of medium height and light in complexion.After a week-long manhunt, which included a police helicopter, detectives arrested a man who fit the killer’s profile at Game City Mall.
A witness told Monitor that: “When the man in the red GTI arrived at the car wash, he looked like he was in hurry as he kept looking through his rear-view mirror. He was with a lady in the car.
“All of a sudden plain clothes officers appeared from nowhere with guns pointed at the vehicle. They asked the man to exit the vehicle before proceeding to searchg the car but they found nothing.
“I heard them say to the man that they are arresting him because they suspect he was involved the murder of a man in Block 6, to which he replied he was not aware.”
Senior Superintendent Dipheko Motube, the police spokesman, confirmed the arrest of the suspect in Montshiwa’s killing.
Motube said: “We are investigating a shooting incident. We will bring anyone in for questioning. It is not up to the police to reveal the merits of our investigations. When there is something to say we will let the public know.
“This is a security issue. We have nothing to say now except that a 31-year-old man was brought in for questioning. Whether he has been released or is still in custody is a security matter.”