On the morning of April 2024, 30-year-old engineer Armand Swart was sitting in his car outside his workplace in Vereeniging when gunfire erupted.
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In seconds, 23 bullets tore through him in what police described as a professional execution .
At first, speculation suggested mistaken identity. But as evidence mounted, it became clear that Swart’s death was tied to a Transnet tender fraud scheme. His company had flagged shocking price inflation: a spring worth R3.20 billed to Transnet for R152, inflating the contract from R25,000 to R1.2 million .
The whistleblowing came at a deadly cost. Investigators later discovered the hitman was paid R1 million to carry out the assassination.
The triggermen included a serving police officer, Warrant Officer Michael Pule Tau, alongside career criminals Musa Kekana and Dany “Floyd” Mabusela.
They were arrested with military-grade weapons and a getaway car linked to the crime .
But behind the shooters stood alleged mastermind Lucky Molefe, a former Transnet employee who has since gone on the run.
His uncle, businessman Katiso “KT” Molefe, was later arrested, with ballistics tying the same weapon used in Swart’s murder to the assassination of DJ Sumbody — exposing a chilling web of interconnected hits .
The case has since stalled in court, while the mastermind remains a fugitive.
For Swart’s family, the delays prolong their grief. For South Africa, his murder is another stark reminder that corruption here is not only about stolen money, but also about silenced lives.
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