Black DJ murder reveals hidden link between crime and politics
South Africa’s Police Minister Senzo Mchunu faces suspension amid sweeping corruption scandal
In a startling development that has rattled the nation, the South African government has suspended the Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, following a barrage of allegations that accuse him of being involved in a vast corruption network that has poisoned the country’s procurement system for decades.
Linkages between murder cases and state tender scandals
Investigations have uncovered a hidden web that ties together the brutal murders of prominent whistleblowers and the fraudulent procurement of lucrative government contracts.
- DJ Sumbody – the rising music icon who was gunned down in 2022 while heading home, a case that has been linked to illegal tender contracts.
- Engineer Armand Swart – executed in 2024 after his company identified a tender inflated by over 4,500 percent.
- Recent arrests have revealed that a former Johannesburg police officer, a businessman named Katiso Molefe, and other suspects are connected to the murder of DJ Sumbody.
During the raid on Monday, police discovered prominent Johannesburg councillor Kenny Kunene at Molefe’s residence. Kunene, a city council member, has since been suspended by his party’s leader, Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie, although police have yet to formally implicate him.
“Tenderpreneurs” – the high‑profile figures at the heart of the corruption scandal
The epicenter of the growing network is businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, a local term “tenderpreneur” indicates individuals who have made fortunes through state contracts.
Matlala, who heads a private security firm, was arrested in May in connection with the 2023 attempt on his ex‑partner Tebogo Thobejane’s life. Thobejane, a former reality TV star turned influencer and former actress of the popular soap opera Muvhango, denied having “snitched” on Matlala, stating, “I am a victim.”
In 2024, the businessman secured a $20 million contract with the national police, which has now been cancelled, despite his implication in a $125 million public hospital embezzlement scandal. The Tembisa hospital case, which cost whistleblower Babita Deokaran her life in 2021 when she was shot nine times outside her home, remains unsolved, underscoring the widespread impunity in the country, where only 11 percent of murders are solved.
Police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe states that all three cases – DJ Sumbody, Swart and Thobejane – are linked “somehow.” Four weapons, including the AK‑47 rifle used to kill DJ Sumbody, have been linked through ballistics to at least ten high‑profile cases.
Accusations against the police minister
KwaZulu‑Natal’s Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has publicly accused the police ministry and Mchunu of burying investigations into Matlala. In a televised press conference, Mkhwanazi alleged that Mchunu received payments from a corruption suspect and that prosecutors were deliberately delaying justice.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has responded by suspending Mchunu and announcing a judicial inquiry into the allegations. However, tangible action has been limited.
Context: South Africa’s alarming crime statistics
- Average of more than 75 killings per day.
- Politically motivated contract killings have surged 108 percent over the last decade.
- Hiring a contract killer can cost as little as $145 in a country that is all too accustomed to violence.
“It’s easier to silence someone with a bullet than to deal with an investigation,” asserts Chad Thomas, head of the private investigation firm IRS Forensic.
As South Africa confronts one of the world’s highest murder rates, the scandal surrounding Senzo Mchunu signals a potential turning point. Whether the investigations will unearth further truth or merely shut a political door remains to be seen.
