Ngombane's body exhumed

2005-10-11 19:03

Bloemfontein - Murdered Free State official Noby Ngombane's body was laid to rest for a second time on Tuesday after police, searching for a murder weapon, exhumed it.

Free State police spokesman Senior Superintendent Sam Sesing said the exhumation was part of an intensive "ongoing investigation" into the murder of Ngombane.

"The investigation team was granted a search warrant in terms of section 20, 21 and 25 of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 on Monday to open the grave of Mr Ngombane," he said in a statement.

"The contents of the search warrant were based on reasonable grounds to believe that the murder weapon (firearm) which may afford further evidence in the case, has been concealed in the body or coffin of the deceased."

Sesing said the exhumation and search lasted about two hours with "negative" results.

Ngombane's wife, Nokwanda, her brother and sister, Bongani and Thanthiswa, and two cousins Vuyokasi Mlambo and Sephumle Booi face charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice in connection with his murder.

However, no formal charges have been laid yet.

The matter is expected to come before Bloemfontein magistrate's court on December 15.

The suspects are out on conditional bail.

Ngombane, a senior official in premier Beatrice Marshoff's office, was murdered at his Hillsboro home on March 22.

At his funeral his wife said in a speech that the motive for the murder was political.

Sesing said the body was reburied on Tuesday at 16:00 at the Memoriam Cemetery in Uitsig, Bloemfontein.

The police were continuing with the investigation, Free State police commissioner Mpumelelo Landu said.

- SAPA