Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of the identifying details of a cellphone that could have assisted police in solving a murder case that took place in Dimbaza last November.
Mthuthuzeli Njokwana was gunned down in the driveway of his home, and only his cellphone was found to be missing. A laptop, wallet and car keys were left behind. His family are accusing police of bungling the case by losing some of the evidence that could have helped track those responsible for their father’s death.
They claim they handed the cellphone’s packaging which contained the phone’s identifying details including its International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMEI) over to police on the day of the incident, but police deny ever receiving it and claim they are doing everything they can to bring the perpetrator to book.
The family says the cellphone details could have helped track the killers as their father’s phone was on and rang for more than six weeks after he had been killed.
Njokwana, 61, who worked as a dispatch officer for Mayibuye Bus Corporation in Alice at the time of his death, was shot several times while trying to open the gate to his Dimbaza home on November 10.
His son, Songezo said he believed the murder had not been a random robbery as nothing was stolen from the scene except for the cellphone.
He said soon after the killing, police asked that they be provided with the cellphone packaging with details of the stolen phone.
“When the police asked for the box, my younger brother went and fetched it from my father’s safe and handed it over to police who were at the scene.
“Now we are surprised that they say they never received the box.…them losing the box means that it would be much more difficult for them to track down my father’s killer or killers,” said Songezo.
He said the phone rang unanswered from November until mid-January before it was completely switched off.
Songezo also accused the Dimbaza police of dragging their feet in trying to solve the mystery.
However, police spokesman Captain Nkosikho Mzuku last week said: “Allegations that police were dragging their feet in investigating this case are unfounded and not true.
“Everything possible is being done to bring the perpetrator to book, but we are facing several challenges in doing that swiftly.
“There is a lack of witnesses who actually saw what happened.
“The deceased was alone at the time of the incident and most information received came from people who arrived after the crime had been committed,” he explained.
Mzuku said “a case of this nature would take time to solve”.
Family raps cops over case delays
Mthuthuzeli Njokwana was gunned down in the driveway of his home, and only his cellphone was found to be missing. A laptop, wallet and car keys were left behind. His family are accusing police of bungling the case by losing some of the evidence that could have helped track those responsible for their father’s death.
They claim they handed the cellphone’s packaging which contained the phone’s identifying details including its International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMEI) over to police on the day of the incident, but police deny ever receiving it and claim they are doing everything they can to bring the perpetrator to book.
The family says the cellphone details could have helped track the killers as their father’s phone was on and rang for more than six weeks after he had been killed.
Njokwana, 61, who worked as a dispatch officer for Mayibuye Bus Corporation in Alice at the time of his death, was shot several times while trying to open the gate to his Dimbaza home on November 10.
His son, Songezo said he believed the murder had not been a random robbery as nothing was stolen from the scene except for the cellphone.
He said soon after the killing, police asked that they be provided with the cellphone packaging with details of the stolen phone.
“When the police asked for the box, my younger brother went and fetched it from my father’s safe and handed it over to police who were at the scene.
“Now we are surprised that they say they never received the box.…them losing the box means that it would be much more difficult for them to track down my father’s killer or killers,” said Songezo.
He said the phone rang unanswered from November until mid-January before it was completely switched off.
Songezo also accused the Dimbaza police of dragging their feet in trying to solve the mystery.
However, police spokesman Captain Nkosikho Mzuku last week said: “Allegations that police were dragging their feet in investigating this case are unfounded and not true.
“Everything possible is being done to bring the perpetrator to book, but we are facing several challenges in doing that swiftly.
“There is a lack of witnesses who actually saw what happened.
“The deceased was alone at the time of the incident and most information received came from people who arrived after the crime had been committed,” he explained.
Mzuku said “a case of this nature would take time to solve”.
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