Durban Metro Police Chief Implicated in Suspected Robber's Death
DURBAN – The head of the Durban Metro Police, Sibonelo Mchunu, has been named in an official statement submitted to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) as being behind the death of a suspected robber. A whistleblower, who is a fellow metro police officer, has alleged that a man named Bhekumuzi Mbhele died last December after being tortured for information related to a cellphone that was allegedly stolen from Mchunu’s girlfriend.
The incident is alleged to have taken place on December 24 of last year. The whistleblower states that Mchunu’s car was reportedly broken into near the Tongaat plaza in Durban, and his gun and the cellphone of his alleged girlfriend were stolen. The woman is reportedly a metro police officer, though it remains unclear where the two were or why they were at that location on the night of the incident.
According to the whistleblower, after the theft, Mchunu is alleged to have summoned a group of junior officers to raid a nearby informal settlement where the thief was believed to be hiding. It was during this operation that Bhekumuzi Mbhele was allegedly taken, tortured for information about the missing phone, and later died.
The whistleblower’s statement to Ipid claims Mchunu was not officially involved in the investigation but rather dispatched the officers to retrieve his girlfriend’s belongings. “Mr S (Sibonelo) Mchunu didn’t tender any statement or open a criminal case as a complainant or as a person who was also on the scene when the incident occurred; he despatched (sic) metro police to come to search for his girlfriend’s lost items, which included her cellphone,” the statement reads. The whistleblower alleges that the officers went to a nearby informal settlement, where they "ransacked houses, beat up people, and took an African males (sic) with them." The men were then reportedly kidnapped and held for a few days at a location near Kings Park, Moses Mabhida Stadium.
An acting colonel who had knowledge of the situation also submitted a separate statement. This statement claims that Mbhele was not under arrest and was later returned to his home on December 30. Witnesses, however, claimed he was not in good health and had been brutally assaulted. It is alleged that Mchunu had ordered his members to find the cellphone at all costs. Mbhele was later found dead, and it is "believed to have succumbed to injuries."
The Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) police have confirmed that a case on Mbhele’s death was opened, but the docket has since been handed over to Ipid, the official body that investigates suspected police offenses. When contacted, KZN SAPS said: “The matter is being investigated by the Ipid; kindly contact their spokesperson.”
The spokesperson for the Durban Metro Police, Boysie Zungu, has denied parts of the whistleblower's claims. He stated that it is not true that Mchunu had lost his gun. "There is a distortion of information in this matter. There was a robbery that took place in December 2024, where our member was attacked at a toll gate in Tongaat. It is not true that the firearm was stolen," Zungu said. He also explained that a joint operation led by the SAPS, Hawks, and metro police took place after the robbery and led to the apprehension of six suspects. Zungu added that they could not provide further details because the case is "in the regional court and sub judice," and providing more information "may compromise the criminal case."
In a statement that appears to contradict the whistleblower’s claims, Ipid said that Mchunu is not a person of interest in the matter. “In response to the above, Ipid does not have a matter against Sibonelo Mchunu. However, we do have a matter against some metro members in conjunction with SAPS members, and those members have been interviewed, and there was no mention of Sibonelo Mchunu being the suspect,” Ipid stated.
Ipid further explained that Sibonelo Mchunu is actually a complainant in a separate matter being investigated by Tongaat detectives. In that case, his cellphone was allegedly stolen or robbed, and Ipid advised that for more information on that matter, one would have to contact the SAPS. The conflicting statements from the different agencies leave many unanswered questions about the death of Bhekumuzi Mbhele and the alleged circumstances surrounding the incident.
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