Masemola visits scene of WSU deputy VC shooting
National police commissioner Fannie Masemola has visited the site of an earlier shooting where the deputy vice chancellor of the Walter Sisulu University was killed.
Sinethemba Mpambane (44) was shot multiple times while sitting in his car near the university's Mthatha campus.
After receiving a briefing from local police, Masemola said they have assembled a multi-disciplinary team comprised of various units, including the violent and organised crime unit, to investigate the murder.
He says the motive for the shooting remains unclear at this stage.
“We don’t know the motive, and it doesn’t look like they took anything. His laptop, cellphones, and some cash were found in the car. So, surely the motive can’t be robbery. It’s something else because nothing was taken from him.”
The commissioner revealed that, at the time of his death, Mpambane had R27,000 in his possession.
He, however, cautioned against any speculation around the cause or motive for the shooting.
Masemola said while the province has been plagued by allegations of corruption and fraud, including at institutions of higher learning, police should be allowed to investigate the facts of Mpambane’s case without making any assumptions.
“For now, we can’t say there are any similarities because we don’t know what really happened here. The man was shot, we found the cash and cellphones, so we can’t pre-empt as to what is it that we are in for in terms of the investigation.”
The police boss says the case is of a particular concern because of the growing cases of violence at tertiary institutions.
In April, a staffer at the same university was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder, after he opened fire on protesting students.
Violence again erupted at the institution when the same man was granted bail.
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