While Police Minister Bheki Cele has promised justice for slain top cop Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear, the Hawks have confirmed that three more people have been questioned, but the shooter has not yet been arrested.
Kinnear, 52, who worked for the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) was laid to rest at Durbanville Cemetery over the weekend after he was shot outside his Bishop Lavis home on 18 September in an apparent hit.
The funeral service for the seasoned detective was held at the Every Nation Church in Goodwood on Saturday.
His coffin was draped in a South African flag and medals.
Speaking at the funeral, Cele said SAPS would not allow officers to be “butchered” without action taken.
“There is a question that keeps coming back: why were security details not honoured? There should be a proper report and consequences,” Cele said.
He said answers should be found as to why when criminals were spotted around Kinnear’s house, protection was withdrawn, leaving him vulnerable.
Cele also confirmed that Kinnear was “dealing with criminality within the police service, that’s why he was in Gauteng” before his death.
He said it was time to put politics aside and called on provincial government leaders to work together to root out crime.
“We cannot co-govern with crime. We have to decide whether we surrender to criminals or we say not in our name on behalf of those who elected us.”
Kinnear was the lead investigator in several high-profile investigations including the extortion case involving nightclub security boss Nafiz Modack, the murder of top criminal lawyer Pete Mihalik and a firearm licensing fraud case which led to the arrest of cops in Gauteng
Cele said the befitting honour for Kinnear would be to continue in the footsteps of his values of protecting citizens and enforcing the law.
“Kinnear was a hero... heroes don’t die, they multiply,” Cele added.
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi says while ex-rugby player Zane Kilian, 39, who is accused of tracking Kinnear’s phone, would return to Bishop Lavis Magistrates’ Court today, no further arrests had been made.
Last week footage of Kinnear’s murder was shared on social media.
The pictures, seemingly taken from security cameras, shows a skinny masked man, wearing a red hoodie, pointing a gun at Kinnear’s white Toyota Corolla before fleeing the scene.
Mulaudzi told the Daily Voice that while three more people had been taken in for questioning, none of them were charged.
“At this stage Kilian is charged with murder and no further arrests have been made,” he said.
“The shooter has not yet been arrested, but we note the leaking of the CCTV footage and once again warn people to be careful of compromising the investigation.”
Last week, alleged gang boss Jerome “Donkie” Booysen, 56, revealed to the Daily Voice that Killian had also allegedly tracked his personal cellphone.
He said Kilian had tracked his phone 193 times prior to Kinnear’s assassination and he even went to Johannesburg to confront him.
Mulaudzi says the Hawks will not comment on whether this is part of the investigation into Kinnear’s death.