Family and friends are looking for answers after ward councillor for Bloekombos, the ANC’s Luyanda Mbele and his cousin Mzwandile Mathenjwa were gunned down in Wallacedene at the weekend.
According to another of Mr Mbele’s cousins, Pumla Wandaba, Mr Mbele, 44, and Mr Mathenjwa, 40, had dropped her off in Ndeleni Street in Wallacedene on Sunday evening, October 21.
She said she had just turned her back to enter her home when she heard about seven gunshots being fired, and later found that Mr Mbele and Mr Mathenjwa had been killed.
“The family is shocked because we don’t know why anyone would kill them. They were not harmful people. Who would have the heart to kill such a kind person?”
Mr Mbele is survived by six children, the youngest of whom are 2 and 4 years old.
“My cousin was a jovial guy. Even on his baddest days, he always had a smile on his face,” she said.
Ms Wandaba said Police Minister Bheki Cele visited the family home on Monday October 22 to share his condolences and assure the family that SAPS would do their best to bring the perpetrators to book.
EFF councillor for Bloekombos Cosmos Mabona said he was shocked at the news of Mr Mbele’s death and said the community would be missing a great leader.
Mr Mbele was also a leader of the United Commuters’ Voice, an organisation which represents commuters demanding safer public transport.
Mr Mabona said Mbele did not have favorites and treated everybody equally. “I am from an opposition party but never can I say that Mr Mbele excluded me from events in the community. I journeyed with him a lot during his last days,” he said.
Mr Mabona said he had no idea that Saturday October 20, would be the “final goodbye” for him and Mbele.
“On Saturday past my colleague invited me to one of his political events held in Philippi, amongst many other councillors Mbele contributed food like it was a feast or like we were celebrating Christmas. We never knew it was his last feast with us and a final goodbye,” he said.
Sub-council 2 chairperson, Grant Twigg expressed his condolences to the family and called on SAPS to investigate the “heinous crime”.
“I am shocked and saddened by the loss of my colleague. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends at this difficult time.”
He said Mr Mbele would be remembered for his kind yet firm attitude as a ANC ward councillor and his robust engagement in council forums.
“We are calling on SAPS to investigate and determine this heinous crime, our colleague did not deserve to die in this way,” he said.
In a statement issued to the media Executive Mayor, Patricia De Lille said the City of Cape Town was saddened by the tragic murder of Mr Mbele who had served as an ANC councillor in Ward 101 since he won the by-election in December 2015. He was re-elected to the position in the 2016 municipal elections.
“Mr Mbele served on the Area-based Oversight Committee North and represented communities from Kraaifontein East, Bloekombos, Wynland Industrial Park and Wallacedene in council,” she said.
Kraaifontein police had not responded to requests for comment by the time this edition went to print, but provincial police spokesperson FC van Wyk, has been quoted as saying: “Kraaifontein detectives are working around the clock in an effort to find the perpetrators.”
Anyone with information about the incident can anonymously contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111. Alternatively, they can SMS Crime Line on 32211.
