Johannes Senekal, 70, murdered: Roodepoort a.h.

Johannes Senekal murdered at Roodepoort smallholding: police refused to open murder-docket:  http://www.farmitracker.com/reports/view/1127

 The suspected killer, with a scratched face, stood at the murder-scene next to two investigating police officers, but they never questioned him…’

 2011-03-30 - Police investigating the murder-scene of 70-year-old smallholder Johannes Senekal  in Roodepoort on 21 March, refused to open a murder-docket: claiming there had been 'no crime'. Yet the murder suspect -- the now duly arrested casual worker Jabulani Khambuli, 23, of Diepsloot -- stood right next to the investigating police team with a scratched face – and they never asked the worker any questions.

Mr Senekal was murdered in the double-story smallholding home of his niece, Magdel Daniel and her husband Kobus on March 21 2011. The Daniel couple were in Warmbaths ('Bela-Bela') at the time: another worker phoned them and warned that 'Uncle Boetie wasn't breathing any longer'. The Daniel couple phoned the police, paramedics and neighbours. They told Beeld newspaper that the worker who alerted them had become suspicious because the lights weren't on, and Mr Senekal was lying half underneath his bed with cuts to his chin - and electronic equipment was strewn all around him. Missing were his two cellphones, his wallet and a camera.

Mr Daniel was phoned back by the police upon the arrival of the two investigating officers, a sergeant and a captain: who informed them that there 'had been no crime' and “that they would not be opening a murder-investigation docket."
The police sergeant allegedly said in this telephone conversation that “there were 'no signs of any struggle or forced entry-signs at the house; that they refused to open a murder-investigation docket; and that they would not let  the coroner remove the body.'

The Daniel-couple immediately rushed back to Roodepoort - and discovered that casual worker Khambuli had been 'painting' at the house when it was a holiday, yet that he had most definitely not been asked to work that day. The couple contacted the private detective-agency of ex-SAPS detectives Bushie Engelbrecht and Piet Byleveld, who launched an independent investigation.

Questioning of witnesses revealed that the suspected murderer had been standing at the murder-scene with scratch-marks on his face, and yet the police never questioned him.

Khambuli was arrested the following Thursday-afternoon and made a full confession in front of a Roodepoort magistrate, who postponed the murder-case to 5 April for a bail-application. Meanwhile Beeld was given the undertaking by the police's provincial PRO Lt.kol. Lungelo Dlamini that 'an internal investigation will be launched into the handling of the case by the two police members at the scene'. A memorial service wase held for the murdered man in the NG church Muldersdrift on March 30 2011. http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Verdagte-by-toe-polisie-se-Gn-onraad-20110330