Three arrested for murder of Warrant Officer Jabulani Mabuza
Three men have been arrested in connection with the murder of Warrant Officer Jabulani Mabuza, who was fatally shot during a brazen armed robbery in Benrose in September.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks) said that the suspects, aged 32 and 30, were apprehended in coordinated operations across Berea, Selby, and Eloff Extension late on Monday night.
Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale, said that on the day of the incident, it was reported that the deceased Warrant Officer Jabulani Mabuza’s girlfriend had a vehicle mechanical failure as she drove up the Benrose west on-ramp.
“The complainant then called the Warrant officer for assistance, and he came through,” says Mogale
He said that just as the tow truck driver arrived to assist with the vehicle, they were accosted by unknown suspects who pointed a firearm at them, disarmed the tow truck driver, and shot Mabuza.
The suspects then dragged him from the vehicle before fleeing the scene. The tow truck driver managed to escape and alert authorities at Jeppe Police Station.
As the suspects fled the scene, Mabuza and his girlfriend managed to cross the freeway, where they got help and were taken to the hospital for medical assistance, of which Mabuza succumbed to his death.
The arrests were carried out by the multi-disciplinary task team comprising members of the Hawks’ Tactical Operational Management Section, Serious Organized Crime Investigation (Johannesburg), Crime Intelligence’s Modus Operandi Centre, DPCI’s National Priority Violent Crime Investigation, and private security firms BadBoyz Security and Vision Tactical.
Mogale said that during the operation, officers recovered three unlicensed 9mm firearms, two Barrett pistols with serial numbers intact, and a Norinco pistol with its serial number filed off, along with ammunition, a laptop, a cellphone, and a silver-grey BMW believed to have been used in the crime.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 14 October 2025, on charges of murder, attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and possession of suspected stolen property.
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