How a Criminal Network Used Violence to Silence Whistleblowers and Protect Billions in Stolen Government Contracts

JOHANNESBURG - As the Madlanga Commission begins its explosive hearings, the true cost of South Africa's largest corruption scandal is becoming clear: at least eleven people are dead, killed for standing in the way of a criminal network that used violence to protect billions in stolen government contracts.

The victims - whistleblowers, auditors, investigators, and those who simply knew too much - were systematically eliminated to ensure the flow of corrupt money continued uninterrupted. Their deaths represent the darkest chapter in South Africa's post-apartheid history, where corruption and violence merged into a deadly syndicate operating at the highest levels of government.

THE ASSASSINATION LIST

1.BABITA DEOKARAN - The Hospital Whistleblower Murdered: August 23, 2021

The senior financial officer at Tembisa Hospital was executed in a hail of AK-47 bullets outside her home in Winchester Hills. Her crime: blocking corrupt payments to companies attempting to fleece the hospital system. Deokaran had identified irregularities in Personal Protective Equipment contracts worth millions and refused to authorize fraudulent payments.

Multiple gunmen fired dozens of rounds into her vehicle, ensuring there would be no survivors. Her assassination sent a clear message to other financial officers: approve the payments or face the consequences.

2.AKA (KIERNAN FORBES) - The Unexpected Connection Murdered: February 10, 2023

While initially viewed as a dispute over his former relationship, new evidence suggests the rapper's assassination may be connected to the broader syndicate. The nightclub industry in Johannesburg has become central to money laundering operations, and AKA's high profile in this world may have made him a liability.

The revelation came during the corruption investigation when AKA's father pointedly refused to shake hands with former Police Minister Bheki Cele at court proceedings, while warmly greeting General Mkhwanazi. When the corruption scandal broke, General Sibiya immediately claimed credit for pushing the AKA investigation, suggesting deeper connections than previously understood.

3.DJ VINTOS - Nightclub Network Target Murdered: Soweto in 2022.

Alleged Perpetrators: Katiso Molefe and three alleged hitmen

Killed in what authorities described as a nightclub industry dispute, DJ Vintos' death is now understood to be part of the systematic elimination of individuals who posed threats to the money laundering operations centered in Johannesburg's entertainment venues. South African police have arrested and charged Katiso Molefe and three alleged hitmen in connection with the murder of the popular DJ. The nightclub circuit has become a sophisticated money washing operation where criminal proceeds are laundered through expensive bottle service and inflated entertainment expenses.

4.MPHO MAFOLE - The Municipal Auditor Murdered: June 30, 2025

The senior auditor at Ekurhuleni Municipality was killed outside Kempton Park after investigating two massive contracts worth R4 billion. Mafole was auditing the municipal toilets and waste collection contracts as well as vending machine deals when he uncovered evidence of systematic fraud.

His assassination occurred just days before he was scheduled to present his findings to municipal leadership. The timing was no coincidence - his death effectively buried the investigation and allowed the corrupt contracts to proceed.

5.SIMNIKIWE MAPINI - The Waste Contract Investigator Murdered: December 8, 2023

Mapini was murdered in Germiston while investigating the city's chemical toilets and waste collection contracts valued at R1.8 billion. Like Mafole, she had discovered evidence of massive overcharging and fraudulent billing in essential municipal services.

Her assassination followed the same pattern: identify the investigator, eliminate the threat, protect the contracts. The waste and sanitation sector has become a particular target for criminal syndicates due to the large contract values and limited oversight.

6.THREE HENNOPS RIVER POLICE OFFICERS Murdered: May 2025

Three police officers were found dead in the Hennops River in circumstances that initially appeared unrelated to the corruption scandal. However, investigation suggests their deaths are connected to the broader criminal network's efforts to eliminate law enforcement officers who posed threats to their operations.

The systematic killing of police officers represents an escalation in the syndicate's violence, demonstrating their willingness to target even armed law enforcement personnel to protect their criminal enterprise.

7.DJ SOMEBODY AND TWO SECURITY GUARDS Murdered: November 2022

Alleged Perpetrators: Katiso Molefe and three alleged hitmen

Killed in what appeared to be a nightclub industry dispute, these deaths are now understood as part of the systematic violence used to control Johannesburg's entertainment sector. The nightclub industry has become central to the money laundering operations, with expensive bottle service and inflated entertainment expenses used to clean criminal proceeds.

Security guards and entertainment industry workers who witnessed suspicious activities or posed potential threats were eliminated to maintain operational security.

8.DON TINDLENI - The Unknown Businessman Murdered: March 2023

Identified as a businessman, Tindleni's actual business activities remain mysterious. His death suggests he was connected to the criminal network either as a participant who became a liability or as someone who discovered their operations and posed a threat.

Don Tindleni was killed on the N1 highway near the N17 off-ramp in March 2023. His murder is part of a troubling pattern of targeted killings in South Africa's nightlife scene. The police have indicated that the same AK-47 used in Tindleni's murder was also linked to the murders of other prominent figures, including DJ Vintos (Hector Buthelezi) and DJ Sumbody (Oupa Sefoka). Sunday World

The deliberate obscuring of his business activities indicates the syndicate's sophisticated approach to eliminating evidence and witnesses while maintaining their legitimate business facades.

9.ARMAND SWART - The Transnet Whistleblower Murdered: 17 April 2024

Alleged Perpetrators link: Michael Pule Tau

Shot 23 times in an execution-style killing, Swart was eliminated because he was suspected of being a whistleblower in massive Transnet tender fraud. His body was riddled with bullets in a deliberate message to other potential informants within state-owned enterprises.

The excessive violence used in his killing - 23 bullets - demonstrates the syndicate's commitment to using extreme brutality as a deterrent to others who might consider exposing their operations.

THE SURVIVORS: ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATIONS

The criminal network's violence extended beyond successful assassinations to attempted murders of those who threatened their operations.

KAGISO LERUTLA - Ekurhuleni CFO Attempted Murder: September 15, 2023

As Chief Financial Officer of Ekurhuleni Municipality, Lerutla held ultimate authority over the audits that threatened the criminal network's R4 billion in fraudulent contracts. He was shot at while driving in Germiston but survived the assassination attempt.

His survival allowed investigations to continue, contributing to the eventual exposure of the broader corruption network. The attack demonstrates how the syndicate systematically targeted financial officers with authority to block their payments.

JOE SIBANYONI - Taxi Industry Target Attempted Murder: August 10 2022

Alleged Perpetrators: Vusimuzi Matlala

Sibanyoni survived an attempted hit connected to taxi industry disputes that are now understood to be part of the broader criminal network's operations. The taxi industry provides another avenue for money laundering and territorial control that the syndicate sought to dominate through violence.

TEBOGO THOBETJANE - The Key Witness Attempted Murder: johannesburg 2023

Alleged Perpetrators: Vusimuzi Matlala

Thobetjane's attempted assassination proved to be the syndicate's biggest mistake. As the former romantic partner of Vusimuzi Matlala, she possessed detailed knowledge of the criminal network's operations. When the assassination attempt failed and she was arrested along with Matlala, investigators found crucial evidence on her phone.

The information recovered from Thobetjane's device provided the breakthrough that exposed the broader corruption network, leading to the current commission of inquiry. Her survival and the evidence she inadvertently preserved may prove to be the syndicate's downfall.