PIETERMARITZBURG – A dramatic twist has emerged in the Sindiso Magaqa murder case, with one of the hired hitmen claiming he was cheated out of his full payment and is now prepared to expose the politicians who ordered the hit. Sbusiso Ncengwa alleges he was promised R1 million for the assassination of the former ANC Youth League secretary-general in 2017, but only received R70,000.
In a surprising move, Ncengwa fired his legal aid lawyer in court, stating that the lawyer was not acting on his instructions. He then declared his intention to come clean and reveal all the details surrounding the hit on Magaqa, including the identities of those who orchestrated it and the precise manner in which the politician was killed. Judge Nontutuzelo Mlaba granted him permission to hire a new legal representative.
Reliable sources close to the case have revealed that Ncengwa also intended to disclose that the two ANC politicians who hired him and Mdunge initially covered his legal fees, but ceased doing so when they realised he was planning to make a full disclosure. This prompted him to seek legal aid.
A source close to the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated, "Ncengwa wants the whole of South Africa to know who ordered the hit on Magaqa, how it was executed, and he wants the culprits to face the wrath of the law."
Ncengwa's affidavit was submitted to Fadiel Adams, a member of parliament and leader of the National Coloured Congress, during a parliamentary oversight visit to Westville Prison in Durban on January 24. Adams commissioned the affidavit after hearing Ncengwa's story.
Adams said, "Ncengwa has been begging the authorities to grant him an opportunity to take the stand in court and expose the people who ordered Magaqa's murder, but he has been denied at every turn as there are officials protecting the culprits who are politicians."
The MP further revealed that he has not yet handed over Ncengwa's affidavit to the police, as the hitman has implicated a number of officers in his statement.
"Ncengwa claims that they were escorted by police from Umzimkhulu to Durban after they killed Magaqa and that the officers were paid R20,000 for their service," Adams explained.
Adding another layer of complexity to the case, Adams stated that "Mdunge, who actually pulled the trigger and shot Magaqa, was a registered police informer on the payroll of crime intelligence."
Adams expressed his reluctance to hand over the affidavit to the SAPS until the police officers implicated by Ncengwa are arrested. "Police have been covering up their tracks on Magaqa's murder from day one, and how can we trust them with this affidavit?" he questioned.
Ndobe and Skhosana were initially arrested but later released after police stated they could not find a direct link between them and the hitmen, claiming they allegedly used intermediaries to recruit Ncengwa and Mdunge. Ndobe reportedly committed suicide after his release from prison.
Ncengwa and Mdunge ambushed and shot Magaqa, who was then a councillor, multiple times while he was at a car wash with colleagues, Jabu Mzizi and Nonsikelelo Mafa, in Umzimkhulu in July 2017. Magaqa succumbed to his injuries at Albert Luthuli Hospital in September of the same year.
