A hitman implicated in the murder of Durban metro police Superintendent Errol Ogle and the hijacking of a meat wholesale truck carrying R700,000 cargo was killed in a police shootout, the Durban High Court heard.
This was revealed by Hawks detective Warrant Officer Sibusiso Ntshangase, the investigating officer of the matter.
Ntshangase testified this week against three former Chester Meat Wholesale employees: Mlungisi Mpanza from Umlazi, Mzomuhle Lawrence Gamede from Umbilo, and Sabelo Mncube from Inanda.
They allegedly planned the hijacking as an act of revenge after being fired for participating in an unlawful strike, intending to sell the meat to other butcheries.
On July 20, 2023, the three former employees, along with other assailants, allegedly followed the truck from the Pinetown store.
They boxed the truck on the M7 freeway in Queensburgh, hijacking it with the driver still inside. After approximately 50 metres, the truck’s gears locked, causing it to stop on the M7 off-ramp, facing oncoming traffic.
Superintendent Ogle, 52, approached the truck, concerned about the traffic it was causing. However, the assailants, who were travelling with the trio, shot him dead in the chest. They then stole Ogle’s metro police vehicle and his gun, leaving his body on the ground.
During the trial, the names of Khaye and Spha emerged in the testimony of Vuyokhule Jam-Jam, who was the driver of the vehicle used to jam the truck. Jam-Jam is now testifying against his alleged accomplices.
“Spha died in a shootout with police,” Ntshangase told the court.
Additionally, he told the court that Khaye, who is not before the court, is Mpanza’s cousin, and they are originally from Mpangeni in Richards Bay.
Ntshangase further stated that he obtained the accused’s personal information, including their cellphone numbers, during the charging process.
“I used the cellphone numbers the accused had given me to apply for authorisation to compel service providers to release cellphone records,” he explained.
He said he wanted to establish communication between the accused and their locations at the time of the offence.
Previous testimony from SAPS data analyst Lieutenant Colonel Monique Vermeulen indicated that Mpanza communicated with Jam-Jam early on the morning of the incident.
Vermeulen’s analysis also showed that the accused’s cellphone numbers pinged on the same towers — Umbilo, Rossburgh, Umlazi, and the old Durban Airport — on the day of the incident.
An issue arose when prosecutor Advocate Bonginkosi Mbokazi attempted to submit the original cellphone records analysed by Vermeulen.
The court ruled that the records could only be admitted if the defence made admissions that they were obtained from service providers.
However, the defence declined to make these admissions. As a result, Mbokazi requested an adjournment to subpoena representatives from the service providers to testify on how the records were obtained.
The trial is expected to continue on November 10.
