The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed that the death of former Deputy National Police Commissioner for Crime Detection, Sindile Mfazi, is now being investigated as a murder after forensic tests found a poisonous substance in his body.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said Mfazi’s family had raised concerns about his death with the then National Commissioner, who instructed the SAPS Cold Case Unit to investigate the allegations.
“We can confirm that in the same month, his body was exhumed. There were examinations that were conducted that confirmed that a poisonous substance was found in his body,” Mathe said.
She said the case has now been reclassified.
“So we can confirm that the case was changed from being registered as an inquest docket to now a murder docket.”
Mathe acknowledged that questions would be raised about the time taken to reach this stage but explained that investigators first had to determine whether the poisonous substance had been accidentally ingested or administered with the intention to kill.
“Following the gathering of evidence and information, the team is quite confident that they are investigating a murder case,” she said.
Police have also confirmed that investigators are now focusing on several persons of interest believed to be linked to Mfazi’s death. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
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