Cape Town - Cape Police have exclusively released a list of their top 10 most wanted suspects to the Cape Argus.
The nine men, and one woman, are wanted for a range of offences including murder, rape, business robbery and being in the possession of unlicensed firearms.
The suspects, classed as “high harm”, are being sought for serious crimes.
They are:
- Malibekho Boqwana, 31, wanted for murders perpetrated in Milnerton during October and December 2019;
- Thembalethu Taleni, 40, wanted for a murder perpetrated in Kraaifontein during December 2017.
- Sindile Mkentani, 39, wanted for a murder perpetrated in Kraaifontein during November 2014;
- Duran Williams, 29, wanted for a murder perpetrated in Lentegeur during February 2017;
- Rowan Fortuin, 26, wanted for a murder perpetrated in Kraaifontein during September 2017.
- Cecil Sithole, 33, wanted for rape perpetrated in Philippi during December 2017;
- Jane Procast Babbege, 28, wanted for rape perpetrated in Philippi during December 2017;
- Luyolo Puza, 33, wanted for the possession of an unlicensed firearm in Manenberg during August 2019.
- Tumelo Tskokotsho, 20, wanted for a murder perpetrated in Kraaifontein during April 2020; and
- Siphamandla Ndukwana, 26, wanted for a business robbery perpetrated in Kraaifontein during August 2019.
ANC provincial spokesperson for community safety, Mesuli Kama, said they were outraged and alarmed that so many wanted suspects were on the loose.
Kama said they need more intelligence-driven operations to address the high murder rate in crime hot-spot areas, particularly in Kraaifontein.
“We are concerned that the so-called Western Cape Safety Plan appears not to be working. More resources must be made available to install more CCTV cameras in crime hot spots and address the causative factors of violent crime,“Kama said.
Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said the location and anticipated arrest of the identified suspects would go a long way toward solving crimes, thereby creating safety in communities and ensuring justice was served.
Guy Lamb, a criminologist at Stellenbosch University's Political Science department, said the strategy of revealing the names and faces of the suspects was very important, as it would help the police apprehend them.
Provincial Community Policing Forum board chairperson Fransina Lukas said the police needed to actively and closely work with communities through community-based structures in order to get information on the whereabouts of the suspects.
Lukas said that local crime intelligence systems must be activated and more informers must be recruited to give necessary intelligence. This must be done with highest level of confidentiality.
Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz welcomed the release of the list of suspects, saying that the provincial government offered its full support to the police in bringing each of the suspects to book.
Fritz said the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (Leap) saw success late last year in tracking down and handing over to the police a suspect who was wanted for rape, so he looked forward to seeing the same kind of collaboration between law enforcement agencies going forward.
He said they would distribute the list of the most wanted suspects to all neighbourhood watches and community policing forum (CPF) structures, so that they could assist the police.
“We will then also be looking at the possibility of offering a reward to the neighbourhood watch or CPF that facilitates a successful arrest and conviction,“Fritz said.
SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) provincial chairperson Bongikhaya Qhama said more needed to be done to protect whistle-blowers. He said he believed that the police need to work in a much more co-ordinated approach, linking with community structures to make a meaningful impact.
“This should begin with the top 30 Western Cape most wanted, then a list needs to be scaled down to the top 20 per station, and the community need to be made aware of the individuals wanted per section in each community, followed by mobilisation of resources leading to successful arrests,” said Qhama.
Anyone with information can contact Crime Stop anonymously at 08600 10111 or via the MySAPS app.