Former SAPS Highway patrol member and Thatha Zonke anti-crime unit co-founder was shot and killed in Katlehong in Ekurhuleni after having his last meal of uphuthu and maas at home. Mandla Nkambule was killed not far from his house yesterday.

It's sad when we loose souldierto crime. South Africa is fast becoming a Mafia State pic.twitter.com/L6HELQ1Pzq

— ??CdeBrownBone (@MuziKamabika) September 5, 2024

HE ASKED FOR UPHUTHU 

His mother Ellen Ngwenya- Nkambule (78) said the deceased called her while still at work and asked her to make him uphuthu. Ngwenya-Nkambule said the deceased came home and ate the meal she had prepared for him but she was not around at the time. "He found his sister and ate. I came back and saw his car parked outside. I asked my granddaughter to call him but she told me that he had left shortly after I entered the house. While we were sitting, someone from the community came rushing in to inform us that someone from Thatha Zonke had just been shot and we must rush to the scene and my grandchild reminded me that Mandla had just left. However, I was reluctant because I thought he was working with another crime fighting organisation called Yizo Yizo, so I didn't take the news of the shooting seriously," she said. Ngwenya Nkambule said Mandla's son is the one who broke the news of his father's death. "I don't know if he had any enemies but because of the nature of his job, he was bound to step on a few toes. Whoever killed my child will also die one day; we are all going to die. Maybe Mandla's killer's death will be more cruel," she said.

 Ellen Ngwenya- Nkambule

The car the alleged killers used to flee the scene

Mandla Nkambule was shot and killed in his work car

A GREAT LEADER

A colleague and friend of the deceased who calls himself Commander Bush said they are in deep mourning. They used to call him Mandla Phoyisa because he worked as a member of the South African Police Service highway patrol. "He was full of life and friendly. We co-founded Thatha Zonke in 2002 and he already had his own company called Umbrella Security. When we formed the company, he was our first supreme commander and gave us instructions and commands. He then left us to start another crime fighting unit called Yizo Yizo, however, nothing changed; we still had the same respect for him and his experience. On behalf of all the crime fighting organisations, we say we have lost a great leader, a father and mentor who was a great man. Very few men would protect the community without getting paid," Bush said. He believes that Mandla was killed for his crime-fighting efforts. "To those who killed him, we would like to say that we are coming for them and they will pay for what they've stripped the community of."

POLICE SEARCHING FOR KILLERS

SAPS Gauteng spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed the incident and said the deceased was driving when he was shot at by suspects who were driving parallel to him. "The victim lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a palisade. He was certified dead on the scene. The motive for the killing cannot be confirmed at this stage and police are on the lookout for the suspects who are still at large," Masondo said.