In the bustling city of Ekurhuleni, a place that serves over four million residents with an annual budget of R64 billion, a dark pattern has emerged among those who dare to uncover hidden financial wrongs. Mpho Mafole, a dedicated senior auditor and forensic investigator, became the third person in this role to face a deadly attack while probing massive corruption linked to contracts worth around R4 billion.
On 30 June 2025, he was gunned down outside Kempton Park, when his car was riddled with bullets as he drove along the R23 near Esselen Park. This incident marked him as the second auditor from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality to lose his life in just two years, with another surviving a similar attempt. Mafole's work had placed him at the heart of investigations into chemical toilets and waste collection contracts valued at about R1.8 billion, as well as electricity and water vending deals worth R2.2 billion. These tenders, prone to irregularities due to their enormous scale, had drawn him into a web of potential fraud that seemed to threaten powerful interests.
His tasks included completing probity checks on the chemical toilets and waste tenders, which he wrapped up in just four weeks. He also delved into the vending contracts, examining how electricity and water services were being managed and billed. One particularly troubling audit involved the refurbishment of the SAAME municipal building in Germiston, a project that started with a budget of R46 million but had swelled to over R300 million after more than eight years of ongoing work. This ballooning cost raised serious questions about oversight and possible mismanagement, and Mafole was right in the middle of scrutinizing it.
The dangers of such work were not new in Ekurhuleni. Before Mafole, Simnikiwe Mapini, an adjudicator and evaluator on the municipality's audit team, met a similar fate. On 8 December 2023, Mapini was shot while driving with a colleague near Rand Airport in Germiston. The colleague escaped unharmed, but Mapini did not survive. Like Mafole, Mapini had been investigating the chemical toilets and waste collection contracts, digging into potential corruption in those high-value deals. Then there was Kagiso Lerutla, the municipality's chief financial officer and the ultimate authority over these audits.
On 15 September 2023, Lerutla was targeted while driving in Germiston, sustaining bullet wounds to his arms but managing to survive. The attackers in his case used a Hyundai i10, showing little rush to escape, much like the Toyota Avanza involved in Mafole's killing. Lerutla reported the incident to the police but later chose not to discuss it publicly, and the municipality even declined to confirm the attempt to the media.
These three individuals formed the core of the finance department's team focused on exposing corruption. Their attacks appeared designed to intimidate and halt their efforts. Mafole's probes extended to a major billing scandal involving manipulated and deleted electricity accounts, which had led to revenue losses exceeding R2 billion. He was preparing charge sheets against senior officials connected to this issue when he was killed. Preliminary findings showed that around 1,660 accounts had been altered for rates clearance, and 1,438 accounts were deleted only to be reloaded with much lower arrears, causing a direct loss of R273 million. This manipulation seemed to have occurred over several years, possibly involving collusion between internal staff, external consultants, and property managers. An independent forensic investigation into the matter was still in its early stages, with uncertainty about whether it would lead to criminal charges.
Political pressures added another layer to the challenges faced by auditors like Mafole. During his three months at the municipality, he encountered situations where senior executives discussed audit outcomes in ways that suggested predetermined clean results. In one instance, two high-ranking officials agreed during a phone call in his presence that no adverse findings would emerge from the chemical toilets audit. This echoed an earlier experience from two years prior, when Mafole was still with the Auditor-General. A senior municipal official interrupted an auditors' meeting to insist that draft adverse findings be altered, declaring the matter non-negotiable. After escalating the issue, that official secured the desired clean audit. Such pressures highlighted how political office bearers and executives sometimes pushed for favorable reports, making the auditing process risky and fraught with interference.
Mafole's personal life painted a picture of a man committed to both his profession and his future. He planned to marry his fiancée in December 2025, having already paid lobola for her earlier that year. On the day of his death, he borrowed his father's black Toyota Yaris to attend an important board meeting with Rakgwale. He emphasized to his father the need to be on time, saying he would return later, but he never did. Police found his body still seatbelted in the car, surrounded by shattered glass, with the driver's window completely broken and blood everywhere.
His cousin described the scene as haunting, noting how the attack left a lasting image of tragedy. Mafole came from Tembisa, where he was known for his integrity and desire to improve systems. He often spoke of fixing the culture rather than becoming part of it, driven by a commitment to transparency and reform for the benefit of Ekurhuleni's residents.
The connections between these incidents extended beyond the auditors. Two weeks before the attempt on Lerutla, Bongani Mfihlo, a disc jockey with no known ties to the municipality, was gunned down outside a nightclub in Kempton Park. One of the men arrested in that case, Thabani Goodwill Ntshalintshali, later became a suspect in Mafole's murder. Ntshalintshali, aged 40, had been out on R5,000 bail for the Mfihlo killing when he allegedly pulled the trigger on Mafole. His trial for both cases was set to begin on 15 August 2025 in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court. Prosecutors opposed bail for him in Mafole's case, citing him as a potential threat to witnesses and the community due to his pending murder charge. Police also sought a second suspect, Hlanganani Agripper Mncwango, issuing a warrant for his arrest and urging the public to provide tips through crime stop lines or apps.
In the wake of Mafole's death, the municipality took steps to enhance security for finance department officials. Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza announced strengthened measures, and a senior official confirmed that his own security had been increased recently. At Mafole's funeral, attendees remembered him as a corruption-buster and a patriotic figure dedicated to serving his country through honest work. Similar sentiments had been expressed about Mapini nearly two years earlier. The mayor met with Mafole's grieving family, acknowledging the emotional difficulty of not yet having answers about those responsible. Mafole's father expressed deep pain and a hope that investigators would uncover the motives, questioning why his son, who had been in the job for only three months, was targeted. He noted Mafole's passion for forensic auditing, despite its dangers, as it involved exposing instabilities within the council.
They argued that no evidence supported such claims, no criminal charges had been filed, and the remarks caused reputational and emotional harm. The letter required an immediate public retraction through the same media outlets, a halt to further comments, and preservation of related documents. It gave seven days for a response, threatening defamation lawsuits and damages if ignored. However, it's now nearly a month later, but no retraction or legal action has occurred from either side.
Experts and organizations highlighted the broader implications of these events. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners condemned the attack, viewing it as part of a pattern targeting whistleblowers and anti-corruption professionals. They called for urgent action from law enforcement to pursue not just the direct perpetrators but also any masterminds, emphasizing that delays foster impunity. A professor from the Wits School of Governance described how such killings push the country toward lawlessness, silencing those who investigate wrongdoing and undermining public sector governance. Mafole's colleague, Rakgwale, recalled their last day together at the board meeting, praising Mafole's work ethic, integrity, and thoroughness. He noted that Mafole planned to stay for about five years to sharpen his skills before moving on, always focused on doing the right thing.
Detectives made a breakthrough on 20 July 2025, arresting Ntshalintshali, who appeared in court on 23 July 2025. The search for Mncwango continues, with appeals for public assistance. Mafole's cousin spoke of his devotion to family, career, and community, recalling his motto of building a legacy through positive change. His move from the Auditor-General to Ekurhuleni was driven by a desire to rearrange auditing practices for the betterment of the council and its people.
This string of attacks on auditors echoes other high-profile cases, such as the killing of City of JOHANNESBURG fraud investigator Benedict Sithole almost a year earlier. It raises alarms about the safety of those fighting financial misconduct in South Africa's public sector. The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department has not yet confirmed motives or additional suspects, but the mayor's comments have heightened tensions. As investigations proceed, the municipality continues to grapple with the fallout, including legal threats and calls for better protection.
Meanwhile, corruption seems to be rampant in Ekurhuleni. Yesterday, a group of ten Ekurhuleni police officers were arrested for corruption and theft in a case that exposes deep flaws within the ranks of those meant to protect the public. These officers, including six from the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department and four from the Tsakane police station, were taken into custody on 4 August 2025 at the Edenvale police station. The arrests, carried out by members of IPID, stemmed from an incident where the officers allegedly abused their power during a raid, seizing goods and cash without proper records and pocketing items for personal gain.
The events unfolded yesterday during a multidisciplinary law enforcement operation launched by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi. The officers targeted a local shop, where they arrested a cashier on suspicions of dealing in illicit cigarettes and detained another employee over alleged immigration issues. However, their actions went far beyond routine enforcement. They reportedly restrained the shop staff, ordering them to stay silent while some members headed straight to the counter and stockroom. One officer grabbed a shop assistant by the neck amid the chaos, as others ransacked the areas, filling black plastic bags with cigarettes valued at R150,000. They also took R35,000 in cash, which the shop manager later explained was set aside for rent, and three packs of Grandpa headache powder worth nearly R5,000.
Security camera footage captured the scene in detail, showing officers stuffing bags with cigarettes from the counter and removing more from the storeroom along with the Grandpa packs. In one particularly bold moment, an officer from the metro police was seen dancing outside the store after the raid, as if celebrating the haul. When the shop assistant questioned the taking of the money and tried to present invoices proving the cigarettes were legal, the officers dismissed the documents and warned him to stop talking, threatening physical harm if he continued.
Back at the station, the officers only recorded the cheaper cigarettes in the occurrence book, leaving out the expensive ones and the Grandpa entirely. The shop manager, a man from Bangladesh who runs a registered business and holds legal papers to stay in the country, later disputed the incomplete records with the station commander. Since then, he has faced intimidation from unidentified individuals who approached him, warning him to drop any case and think about his safety, even mistakenly assuming he was from Pakistan and threatening to deport him. This added layer of fear has left him feeling at risk, worried that more officers might be sent to harass him.
The accused, consisting of nine constables and one sergeant, are set to appear in the Germiston Magistrate’s Court on charges of corruption and theft.
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