His car, phone and wallet had been stolen and acid was poured over his face, allegedly by three men said to be his friends.
|||Durban - A senior parliamentary staff member visiting his parents in KwaZulu-Natal was found dead at a local cemetery, four days after he had been reported missing.
Parliament’s committee section unit manager, Mkethwa Mkhize, was allegedly killed by three men, said to be his friends.
His car, cellphone and wallet had been stolen and acid poured over his face. His body was dumped at a cemetery, a police source said on Tuesday.
Mkhize had been stabbed several times.
KZN police spokesman, Captain Thulani Zwane, said they were awaiting post-mortem results to confirm the cause of death.
Three suspects believed to be friends of Mkhize were arrested and appeared in court on Tuesday.
The source said Mkhize had been in KZN for a week’s visit at his parents’ home in Skebheni, Inanda.
Mkhize, who lived and worked in Cape Town, was last seen by his family on February 15, at 8.45pm.
The source said Mkhize had told his family he had an appointment near the Inanda police station. He left in his red VW Polo Vivo.
When he failed to return the next day, his family launched a search and tried to contact him on his cellphone, but it was off, the source said.
His brother reported him missing on February 18 at the Inanda police station, and on the same day investigations by local detectives led them to Mkhize’s car, found abandoned in Newtown A-section, Inanda.
Acting on information, police went to Molweni Cemetery the next day - almost 10km from his family home in Inanda - and found Mkhize’s body after being alerted to it by a passer-by.
The source described it as a gruesome scene and said Mkhize’s face had been mutilated. His body was also in the early stages of decomposition.
The source said there were multiple stab wounds to his neck and body.
“It appears that robbery was the motive for the murder. Mkhize’s cellphone and wallet were stolen.”
On Sunday three suspects were arrested in Inanda after police received a tip-off.
They appeared in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of robbery and murder.
They were remanded in custody for a formal bail application. Mkhize’s funeral service took place on Sunday, in Inanda.
Several high profile government dignitaries are believed to have attended the funeral, including Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Mduduzi Manana.
Mkhize’s death came to light last week after the DA’s finance spokesman, Tim Harris, tweeted that he had been killed.
At the time he said the circumstances surrounding his death were unclear.
“He was incredibly intelligent… he had a very affable way of dealing with the members (of Parliament), assisting us regardless of our political alignment,” Harris said. He said Mkhize’s death was “heartbreaking”.
IFP MP Narend Singh described Mkhize as “a very bright person, who was committed to his job and in tune with everything around him”.
Singh said because Mkhize was from KZN, they had a lot in common and had chatted often.
“He held a very senior position and I always told him that he made me proud because he was from KZN... this is a tragic loss.”
As a unit manager in the committees section of Parliament for the past two years, Mkhize provided procedural advice to various committees.
He was also responsible for ensuring that the committee’s reports and amended bills were in order before they were forwarded to the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.
Mkhize, who started work at Parliament as a content adviser for the Select Committee on Finance in 2008, was responsible for human resources management and managing the performance of administrative staff.
“Parliament is very saddened by his death,” said its media specialist, Modise Kabeli.
“In his role as unit manager, Mr Mkhize played an invaluable role in the processing of legislations that go through Parliament.
“His contribution to the institution will be greatly missed,” Kabeli said.
“Parliament wishes to convey its sincere condolences to his family, colleagues and everyone who knew him.”
yogas.nair@inl.co.za
Daily News