Johannesburg – A prominent political violence researcher and social justice advocate, Mary de Haas, has made a desperate plea to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) to intervene in the Senzo Meyiwa murder case, claiming that the life of another police officer investigating the assassination “remains in great danger”. De Haas alleges a “high-level cover-up” is underway, with several people linked to the case having died under questionable circumstances.
In two letters sent last month to National Director of Public Prosecutions Adv Shamila Batohi and Hawks head General Godfrey Lebeya, De Haas, who has monitored political violence and police conduct for over three decades, lambasted the NPA’s refusal to prosecute the contentious second docket compiled by lead investigator Warrant Officer Meshack Makhubo. This docket implicated individuals present at the scene of the murder.
The letters warn that Makhubo’s life is at risk because of his role in uncovering inconsistencies in witness testimonies. De Haas claims that a neighbour of the Meyiwa family died from alleged poisoning and that a retired senior police officer was killed in the same manner, with his wife later shot dead.
De Haas asserts that the NPA’s failure to investigate these matters has left Makhubo exposed, despite a threat assessment conducted last year. “The biggest threats to his life unfortunately emanate from within the SAPS itself,” she warned.
In her letter to Batohi, De Haas claims that her concerns were violently confirmed on January 9, 2025, when armed attackers stormed Makhubo’s home in what she described as an assassination attempt. Makhubo was not home at the time, but his son narrowly escaped death after pressing the panic button. The attackers fled in a Toyota Corolla before police arrived.
However, this decision was allegedly overruled by Gauteng director of public prosecutions Adv Andrew Chauke, following alleged interference by then national police commissioner Khehla Sitole. De Haas says Chauke’s intervention not only derailed justice but also led to the malicious prosecution of Makhubo, who was charged under a separate case to discredit him.
In a letter dated February 24, De Haas appealed to Hawks boss Lebeya to intervene urgently. “Please advise what assistance will be provided to Warrant Officer Makhubo to try to ensure (1) his safety, especially if he has to testify in court in the Meyiwa case, and (2) a full investigation by experienced members on the onslaught on his home,” she wrote. “There is clearly a continuing desperate attempt to cover for the real killers, which may lead to further deaths, especially that of Warrant Officer Makhubo,” she warned.
In the letters, De Haas, a University of KwaZulu-Natal honorary research fellow, urges intervention to prevent further loss of life.
Sunday World reported last month on a plot to assassinate the lead investigator in the case, Brigadier Bongani Gininda.
Makhubo’s investigation concluded that there were no intruders and that Longwe Twala shot Meyiwa during an altercation over Zandi. However, the NPA disregarded his docket, maintaining that Meyiwa was shot by intruders during a robbery. Five men have been arrested and are currently on trial in connection with Meyiwa’s murder.
De Haas argues that the NPA should have assisted Makhubo in further investigating the allegations in his docket. “It is most unfortunate that you, as national director of public prosecutions, felt it was not necessary to investigate why the decision to prosecute the second docket had been overturned, and to allow this current prosecution to proceed,” she wrote to Batohi in a letter dated January 13, 2025.
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo confirmed that De Haas requested intervention from Lebeya but said they could not publicly comment on the matter. The NPA’s Mthunzi Mhaga did not respond to Sunday World’s enquiry regarding De Haas’s concerns.
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