Cape Town - A hitman belonging to the Firm Gang under the command of alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield has been arrested for the murder of City of Cape Town staffer Wendy Kloppers.
This was revealed in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court yesterday as Warren-Lee Dennis appeared alongside other gang members linked to the arrest of Stanfield and his wife Nicole Johnson.
Stanfield and Johnson were busted last year alongside Johannes “Bal” Abrahams, Denver Booysen and Jose Brand on various charges allegedly linked to the manhunt of a former employee of Stanfield after he allegedly stole over R1 million from the couple.
Last week, cops hauled three alleged hitmen – Jonathan Cloete, Abraham Wilson and Shakeel Pelston, also of the Firm Gang – before the same court for the murder of 27s gang leader William “Red” Stevens, where they are also accused of the attempted hit on the son of Jerome “Donkie” Booysen.
Their case was postponed to Tuesday.
But as they returned, it was revealed that Dennis and Imtiyaaz Sedick had been added to the charge sheet.
State prosecutor advocate Frank Van Heerden told the court that Dennis and Sedick were added to three charges on the charge sheet which include murder, attempted murder and the possession of firearms and ammunition.
He further explained that Dennis was facing a murder charge for the shooting of Kloppers.
The 48-year-old, who worked for the City’s environmental affairs department, was visiting the Delft Symphony Way housing project site to conduct an inspection when she was gunned down in February last year.
The case was postponed until Thursday, where all five men will now join Stanfield and his wife in the dock as State prosecutors have warned of more arrests.
Speaking outside court, Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile lauded the efforts of the investigating team, saying cops were closing the net on extortion rackets.
“We are closing the gap on criminal grouping, whether it is Ralph Stanfield or any other groupings. We said we wanted to look at the bigger picture and that is what we are doing.
“The investigation (into the murder of Kloppers) has been tedious but persistent and that pays dividends to this,” Patekile said.
The murder of Kloppers sparked an intense investigation by the municipality into the construction mafia and extortion rackets affecting City developments.
In an exclusive interview with the Cape Argus at the time, City manager Lungelo Mbadanzayo said the investigation resulted in the City blacklisting construction companies linked to and owned by Johnson and Stanfield.
In a bold move, Mbandazayo suspended all tenders and launched a mammoth investigation into companies and officials linked to the murky underworld, resulting in the suspension of officials and the blacklisting of companies.
He said an intense investigation into ongoing extortion by gangs has led to the municipality blacklisting 12 companies affiliated with the couple and they also uncovered links between officials in the Human Settlements Department with various companies which are either run by Johnson or are affiliated with her.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has welcomed the arrest, saying it is a step forward for justice for the Kloppers family.
“We hope this arrest is the first step towards full justice for Wendy’s family and colleagues, and for the many unseen beneficiaries of the Delft Symphony Way housing project impacted by violent disruptions at the time of the brazen murder on-site.
“The City’s R1 million reward still stands for information leading to the prosecution of those behind the murder of Ms Kloppers.
“Certainly, this single suspect never acted alone. We are closely following developments and call on the public to come forward with information to assist the prosecution,” he said.
Cape Argus