Search for masterminds behind forensic auditor’s killing

IRS private investigator Chad Thomas has said that several more suspects have been identified in the assassination of Ekurhuleni’s chief auditor, Mpho Mafole.

“We’ve now assisted in identifying other suspects who were involved in the actual execution of Mpho,” he told Newzroom Afrika during a recent interview.

“The most important aspect now, working together with investigative journalists and liaising with authorities, is to assist the police in their investigation and identify who the masterminds were.”

He said that, to this end, an image of one of the suspects believed to be connected to the hit, Hlanganani Agrippa Mncwango, has been circulated on social media to assist in apprehending him.

Thomas added that the South African Police Service’s Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit is the lead agency in the investigation.

He commended the investigating team for arresting the first suspect within twenty days, which he said is not typical of this type of investigation.

“Now it’s the linkages. It’s showing who hired them and how it is that they became a part of this hit squad,” Thomas said.

Mafole, the head of corporate and forensic audits at the municipality, was investigating a R1.8 billion chemical toilet tender when he was gunned down on 30 June 2025 while driving on the R31.

This came a few days after he submitted a report flagging several irregularities in the contract, which was intended to ensure that there were chemical toilets in townships and informal settlements

“It seems that, based on what is coming out, the assassination is directly linked to the work that he uncovered in Ekurhuleni,” Thomas said.

“When one looks at the way in which the assassination took place, this was not a coincidence; the way in which he was followed and then later ambushed suggests this was a very well-planned and well-executed assassination.”

Mafole’s findings ‘sanitised’ – News24 investigations

In a series of investigations into the days leading up to the assassination, News24 investigative journalists Jeff Wicks and Sikonathi Mantshantsha found that Mafole’s report was sanitised.

They reported that he submitted the report to the municipality’s head of internal audit, Phillip Rakgwale, highlighting material irregularities, who then relayed it to the metro’s CFO, Kagiso Lerutla, the next day.

However, the version that Lerutla received is alleged to have been amended, claiming that all 15 awarded bidders had been tested without identifying any non-compliance issues.

Two hundred and twenty-three companies had bid for the tender.

According to the investigation, Mafole had identified several irregularities with specific companies that were unfairly disqualified.

Rakgwale wrote in his report to Lerutla that the audit team was unable to assure that the 208 bids were fairly disqualified, as they did not have “sufficient time.”

Probe into Rakgwale

The South African Institute of Government Auditors (SAIGA) has since announced that it is investigating Rakgwale after allegations surfaced that he tampered with Mafole’s report.

“As a professional body, we take any allegations of conduct that may contravene our members’ code of ethics and disciplinary code very seriously,” SAIGA said.

“The SAIGA council has initiated a probity due diligence, to which Mr Rakgwale has willingly and proactively submitted himself.”

Call for Mafole’s report to be made public

Last week, Democratic Alliance caucus leader in Ekurhuleni, Brandon Pretorius, wrote to the municipality’s executive mayor, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, demanding that Mafole’s report into the tender be tabled at this week’s council meeting.

“Failure to table this report by the current ANC-EFF-ActionSA coalition will not only reiterate their inability to safeguard the City’s coffers, but will also be a disservice to the hard work conducted by Mafole,” he said.

“Bringing this report to Council is the first step in the right direction in rooting out criminal syndicates that have, for far too long, acted with impunity in the City of Ekurhuleni under the ANC and its coalition partners.”

Pretorius added that the DA had written to the Special Investigating Unit in July, asking it to launch an investigation into the matter.

He told Newsday that the council meeting will be held on Thursday. However, the party has yet to receive a response from the mayor.

The DA caucus leader said that other parties within the council have been quiet about the matter and that only one other party has referred to it through their mayoral candidate, who is not a councillor.

“As far as I know, we are the only party that has been driving the issue through the legislative parameters.”