Probe launched into allegations Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza is linked to two high-profile killings

Fresh questions have emerged around Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza following revelations that he was present on the night popular DJ Bongani Mfito was murdered in Kempton Park in September 2023.

Journalist Sikonathi Mantshantsha explains that an investigation shows that the mayor’s presence at the crime scene was not disclosed to police at the time, and he was never interviewed during the initial investigation.

Mfito was shot 14 times by two private security guards who later claimed they acted in self-defence.

Mantshantsha says the same guards are now linked to the June 2025 murder of former Ekurhuleni municipal auditor Mpho Mafole, who was killed just days after submitting a report into alleged irregularities in a R1.8 billion municipal chemical toilets tender.

He adds that the case gained new momentum after it was taken away from Kempton Park police and handed to the Gauteng Serious Crimes Unit, which flagged serious investigative failures.

"It appears it was just a bit more than just negligence or ignorance. They really tried not to interview anybody. The mayor included. They abandoned the crime scene. We're talking now about the 2023 murder of Mfito. They abandoned the crime scene, and they really didn't process any witnesses.

"They said in the case docket that the witnesses declined to testify, citing fears for their own safety, and therefore, the investigation went nowhere. Until there was a change, the case was taken away from them when Mafole was murdered last year."

Mantshantsha notes that Xhakaza, who was an MMC at the time of Mfito’s death and mayor when Mafole was killed, has since submitted an affidavit, admitting he knew Mfito socially but offering no clear explanation for his presence on the night of the killing.

"The mayor, in late November, finally submitted an affidavit to the police after many attempts by the police investigators to talk to him. There were claims that he was manipulating the investigation, refusing to talk to them, and always referring to senior management, that he was going to talk to senior police management and not the people assigned to the investigation."

To listen to Mantshantsha in conversation with 702's Bongani Bingwa, use the audio player below: