The South African Police Service (SAPS) wishes to inform the nation that Fezile Ngubane who was initially identified as a suspect in a syndicate targetting young women has been cleared.
Ngubane’s father handed him in at the KwaMashu police station on Friday when he learnt that his son was sought by police in the Olorato murder case.
A multidisciplinary team led by the Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Crime Detection in Gauteng Major General Mbuso Khumalo,the SAPS National Anti-kidnapping task team, KZN and Gauteng Provincial Investigating Unit (PIU)have now cleared Ngubane following a thorough interview and preliminary investigation.
According to a preliminary report, Ngubane washes cars for a living and stays in the same neighbourhood as deceased Philangenkosi Makhanya.
Makhanya allegedly identified Ngubane as a soft target and took his ID smart card and used it to Rica SIM cards that Makhanya would use to commit his long list of kidnapping and robbery crimes targetted at young women. At times its alleged that he would use Ngubane’s bank card to buy at various clothing stores.
Ngubane’s ID was found as part of the 27 ID smart cards found in possession of the deceased.
The SAPS has also released the parents of one of the two suspects in the case after their statements were taken down.
Police are sitting with atleast twenty cases where women have come forward identifying the suspects as those that kidnapped and robbed them.
Some of these cases were reported in Potchefstroom, Bloemfontein, Midrand, Ogies and Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, Pretoria and Johannesburg.
The search for Bongani Mthimkulu continues and police once again call on Mthimkhulu to hand himself over at his nearest police station.
