Ngombane: More arrests pending

2005-07-22 08:32

Bloemfontein - More arrests are expected in the investigation into the murder of Free State official Noby Ngombane after two of his relatives appeared in the Bloemfontein magistrate's court on Thursday.

Police spokesperson superintendent Annelie Wrensch said police were expected to arrest three more suspects in connection with the murder.

The Star reported Ngombane's widow Nokwanda was one of the three sought by police. The Johannesburg newspaper quoted Wrensch as confirming that Nokwanda Ngombane was a suspect.

Wife's arrest imminent

Bongani Mlambo, 28, and his sister Sephumle Booi, 23, were arrested earlier on Thursday and appeared in court. They are the sister and brother of Nokwanda Ngombane.

Nokwanda Ngombane was expected to hand herself in to police on Friday, The Star reported.

Noby Ngombane, 38, was gunned down at his Hillsboro home in Bloemfontein on March 22.

On Thursday the State tried to apply for a remand order so Mlambo and Booi could be held for seven days without bail.

The reasons for this were that the arrest of a third person - who might flee - was imminent and the investigation team wanted to search Ngombane's home where the two accused also lived.

A lawyer for Nokwanda Ngombane was present in court, but she herself was in Johannesburg on Thursday. She was said to have left for Bloemfontein after hearing about the arrests.

Motive not political

The court turned down the state's application and postponed the matter to Wednesday for bail applications.

Mlambo, an official at the provincial social development department, faces a charge of murder and Booi, a designer of clothing, faces a charge of accessory after the fact. They remain in custody until their next court appearance.

Police have ruled out a political motive for the murder.

At the time of his death Ngombane was the head of the Free State government's policy monitoring and evaluation unit in premier Beatrice Marshoff's office.

At his funeral Nokwanda, who was a personal assistant in premier Beatrice Marshoff's office, said, "We (are) talking about a political assassination and that is what it is.

"Let us not beat around the bush when it is said this murder is a mystery whose motives are unclear."

Ngombane was also the premier's and the provincial government spokesperson, as well as a close confidant of the premier and a former spokesperson for the African National Congress in the Free State.

At the time of his death he had been embroiled in a number of departmental disagreements.

- SAPA