A taxi boss shared a suspect’s ID with a Gauteng organised crime officer shortly after arrests were made in the murder of Armand Swart, asking him to confirm whether the individual was among those detained.
This is according to call records and WhatsApp messages extracted from Sgt Fannie Nkosi’s phone, which were presented when he testified at the Madlanga commission on Wednesday.
The records reveal a flurry of communication on April 15 2024, the day Swart was shot dead in an alleged case of mistaken identity.
More than 30 calls were exchanged between Nkosi and a Hawks officer identified as “Zungu”. There were also more than 30 calls between Nkosi and taxi boss Irvin Mthakathi.
Explaining the communication, Nkosi told the commission that “Zungu” contacted him on the day of the murder, saying he was on his way to Vereeniging, where Swart had been shot and killed.
“Zungu” allegedly informed Nkosi that the suspects were believed to be known to Mthakathi and asked him to assist in verifying this.
“I then went back to Mthakathi to say, ‘hey, they say it’s people you know from Atteridgeville and are close to you’.” He then said, ”let me check for you", Nkosi said.
He claimed that the many calls were to pass information between himself and Mthakathi.
Nkosi said Mthakathi later returned with further information. “Then Mr Mthakathi came back to me and said, ‘I heard that Danny Mabusela has been arrested, can you confirm?’ I told him that I am not at the scene and ‘Zungu’ was on the way, and [Mthakathi] sent me Danny’s ID to check, but I didn’t even confirm,” he testified.
Mthakathi also sent Nkosi CCTV footage from the scene where Swart was murdered.
Danny Mabusela has been identified as Tiego Floyd Mabusela and has been linked to several other murders, including that of Oupa “Dj Sumbody” Sefoka and his bodyguard. He is also implicated in the attempted murder of actress Tebogo Thobejane, Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala’s former girlfriend.
Swart was gunned down outside his workplace in Duncanville. He was shot 23 times. Police said Swart had been mistaken for a colleague who had exposed corruption relating to a R1.2m Transnet tender involving a fraudulent purchase.
It is alleged that alleged crime boss Katiso “TK” Molefe ordered a hit on the whistleblower, but Swart was killed instead.
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