‘We are not going to allow the death of Wendy Kloppers to be in vain’: City of Cape Town

“The law must take its course.”

The brother of slain city official Wendy Kloppers spoke out for the first time after her accused killer appeared in court in Cape Town this week, saying it has opened a lot of wounds.

The man, who requested his real name not be used for safety reasons, spoke to TimesLIVE on Thursday after a suspect in her murder appeared at the Cape Town magistrate’s court.

Kloppers, 49, a city environmental affairs department employee, was shot in Delft on February 16 2023 while visiting a housing construction site.

“My sister and I were very close. She was a hardworking and extremely committed employee but a stern woman who gave her everything to her two children,” he said.

“On the day of her passing she left her computer open and said she was going to support two colleagues in a meeting they had arranged because she was the senior person in her department. She never came home.”

Kloppers' brother said the family has gone through a maelstrom of emotions but are pleased the investigation is progressing.

Police spokesperson Capt FC van Wyk said on Monday a 40-year-old male handed himself over and was charged with Kloppers' murder. The accused, Warren Lee Dennis, who is an alleged member of The Firm gang, appeared in court on Thursday together with reputed 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield and several co-accused standing trial on other charges.

The court heard outstanding medical reports and scene images had to be obtained for investigation, and the state said they intend to add more suspects involved in the murder.

Five days after Kloppers was killed, associates of Stanfield allegedly tried to take control of lucrative building contracts, and are accused of threatening city officials in their offices to hand over contracts. During the encounter, which is being investigated by police as a case of intimidation, human settlements department official Xolani Joja was allegedly warned “the same thing that happened to Wendy Kloppers would happen at all other city construction sites”.

MMC for human settlements Carl Pophaim on Thursday said the city's safety and security department are liaising with police, the National Prosecuting Authority and the broader judiciary.

“I think it's very clear the magistrate felt it fit to conjoin cases and it speaks to the murder being the centre of it. But it is part of a broader stream of investigations and prosecutions that are linked to the construction mafia,” said Pophaim.

“Let us make no mistake that the murder that took place on Symphony Way, Delft, and broader investigations are part of one thing: an attempt to capture human settlements and construction in Cape Town.

“We are not going to allow the death of Wendy to be in vain. We are going to be here to be a part of the process to fight for justice, but more importantly to show we are going to complete the Delft housing project because that’s what these people and individuals wanted to stop.”

TimesLIVE