Police Lost Murder Weapons That Ended Up Killing DJ Sumbody

Firearms used in a string of high-profile killings — including those of DJ Sumbody, DJ Vintos, and Don Tindleni — were once seized by police but somehow found their way back into criminal circulation before being recovered again from suspects in the Armand Swart murder case, the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry heard on Monday.

Captain Solomon Modisane, a senior SAPS forensic analyst attached to the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), testified that the weapons had previously been confiscated but were never entered into the SAP13 evidence system — a crucial administrative process used to record seized items.

Same Gun Linked to Multiple Murders

Modisane told the Commission that on 30 December 2024, he was instructed to conduct ballistic comparisons between exhibits from several murder cases, including those of Oupa “DJ Sumbody” Sefoka, Hector “DJ Vintos” Buthelezi, and Don Tindleni, against the evidence seized from the Bramley suspects arrested for Swart’s murder.

Swart, a Vereeniging engineer, was shot dead on 17 April 2025 in a suspected case of mistaken identity. Allegedly, the hitmen mistook him for a colleague who had exposed corruption linked to a Transnet tender.

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Businessman Katiso “KT” Molefe, along with Warrant Officer Michael Pule Tau, Musa Kekana, and Tiego Floyd Mabusela, faces charges in the case.

“I was requested to compare the fired cartridge cases and the fired bullets under the microscope,” Modisane said. “All these exhibits were fired from the same firearm — a 7.62x39mm Russian AK-47 assault rifle. This is the same weapon used in the murders of DJ Sumbody, DJ Vintos, and Don Tindleni.”

Weapons Never Logged into SAP13

Evidence leader Advocate Thabang Pooe told the Commission that preliminary investigations found the weapons had previously been recovered by police but never formally logged into SAP13.

“We have followed up with witnesses to provide supplementary affidavits confirming that the weapons were recovered by police but not entered into SAP13,” Pooe said. “This raises serious concerns about the integrity of the chain of evidence.”

When questioned about why serial numbers had not been retrieved, Modisane cited several possible reasons: “Sometimes it’s inadequate training, expired chemicals, or simply someone not willing to go the extra mile — or deliberately failing to do their job.”

He stressed that serial numbers were critical in tracing the identity and ownership of a firearm: “They tell us where the gun came from, who it belonged to, and how it ended up being used in a crime.”

PKTT’s Fast-Tracked Ballistics Process

Modisane added that his team worked with urgency to connect the dots between the cases. “I completed all the comparisons in one day. The PKTT has a three-day turnaround time — unlike the national ballistics division, which takes around 30 days. We work until the case is concluded.”

Commission Probes Police Collusion

The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry is probing allegations of corruption and collusion among politicians, senior police, prosecutors, intelligence officials, and elements of the judiciary — claims initially made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

The shocking revelation that weapons once in police custody were later used in multiple assassinations has raised urgent questions about internal accountability within the SAPS.

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