Minister Fritz welcomes arrest of accused in murder case of Jacque Mpontsana

Today, the Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, welcomes news of the capture and arrest of Lwazi Sibindana, who allegedly murdered Jacque Mpontsana by setting her alight during a domestic dispute in September last year.

Ms Mpontsana worked for the Department of Community Safety in the Directorate: Monitoring & Evaluation. Part of her responsibilities was to assess police stations for compliance in terms of the Domestic Violence Act.

Amongst others, she was survived by her daughter who started high school this year.

Minister Fritz said, “we have been robbed of a mother, a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a friend and a colleague in the most cruel fashion. Nothing can be done to bring Jacque back. But we are grateful for this breakthrough: that progress has been made and that a suspect has been arrested. At one level, justice does offer some consolation.”

Minister Fritz continued, “I am advised by my HOD, Adv. Yashina Pillay, that the suspect has been arrested in Khayelitsha and will be processed accordingly. Adv. Pillay has instructed our Court Watching Brief to obtain further information and to monitor the case going forward.”

Minister Fritz concluded, “on behalf of the Department of Community Safety, I would like to thank the South African Police Service for their work in this matter. I want to offer our support to them as needs be, so that we can ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted and so that the suspect faces the full might of the law. The Western Cape is a province of law and order. We are united in our determination to ensure that perpetrators of violence, especially gender-based violence, face consequences for their actions.”