ANC provincial leader Mluleki Ndobe arrested for Sindiso Magaqa's death

Senior ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial leader Mluleki Ndobe has been arrested in connection with the 2017 murder of former ANC Youth League leader Sindiso Magaqa.

The party’s provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli has confirmed to TimesLIVE that Ndobe was first taken in for questioning and later arrested.

"It’s very shocking. It is a set back for the ANC," Ntuli said.

Police minister Bheki Cele’s spokesperson, Reneilwe Serero, said: "I can confirm one senior official from Harry Gwala District Municipality has been arrested. At this stage I can not divulge the name until their court appearance which will be in the next 48 hours."

Ndobe is the mayor of the Harry Gwala district municipality and serves in the provincial working committee of the ANC.

 He previously served as the deputy provincial secretary.

"It’s of great concern to us but we are a law abiding party so we will await the outcome of the legal case," Ntuli said.

Ndobe was refused entry to Magaqa’s home following his murder by angry protesters.

In September 2017 Magaqa died at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital from gunshot wounds after an assasination attempt two months earlier.

At the time his family claimed that he was poisoned, but a post-mortem found that this was not true.

Last year, one person was arrested in connection with the case and appeared in the Umzimkhulu Magistrate's Court.

 KZN police spokesperson Thulani Zwane did not want to comment on Ndobe’s arrest and referred all questions to Cele.