World Cup engineer killed: cops in deal talks

Pretoria - Two railway police officers who allegedly shot a Pretoria sound engineer, kiling him, in 2010 briefly appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

Warrant Officer Enoch Makgamatha, 40, and Sergeant Lilian Tlhapi, 53, allegedly shot Nkosinathi “DJ Nathi” Ntuli, 23, on July 13, 2010, in Marabastad.

Ntuli was returning home after working at the closing ceremony of the 2010 Fifa World Cup tournament.

Makgamatha’s lawyer, JJ van Zyl, has said that his client petitioned the director of public prosecutions (DPP) to allow him to enter into a plea agreement with the State.

Van Zyl said on Tuesday that negotiations were continuing between all the parties - who included Ntuli’s father, Thomas - and an agreement could be reached soon.

Tlhapi is also believed to be involved in plea agreement negotiations with the DPP.

Ntuli said on Tuesday that he was satisfied that the matter was “at last reaching finality”.

The father did not wish to comment on the plea agreement at this stage, adding that he would consult his lawyers before doing so.

“I need to make an informed comment,” he said.

Four railway police officers were initially arrested in connection with Ntuli’s death, but charges against Sergeant Jacobeth Ngobeni, 42, and Captain Moeti Rosinah Mabena, 41, were withdrawn last year.

The accused were initially denied bail, but were later granted bail of R3 000 each.

It was alleged at the time that Ntuli drove headlong into the city’s morning rush-hour traffic in Boom Street.

He apparently narrowly avoided crashing into the police officers, who were in an unmarked vehicle, and other motorists.

The police forced him to stop.

Ntuli was reportedly shot moments after he drove off from where he had been stopped and had “dared” police to shoot him.

Fatally wounded, Ntuli lost control of his vehicle.

The car crashed through the wall of a scrap dealership before hitting a scrapped vehicle and briefly catching alight.

Pretoria News