By Teboho Moloi
QWAQWA – Police in the Free State have put a R50,000 bounty on the table in a renewed push to break a string of high-profile, unsolved murders that have rocked QwaQwa since 2024.
The reward targets information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of suspects linked to multiple killings — including those of a politician, a taxi owner, and a taxi association leader — in cases that have left communities shaken and investigators under pressure.
The Provincial Murder and Robbery Unit confirmed it is intensifying efforts to crack the cases, calling on the public to come forward.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring said the trail of violence dates back to 2024, when DA councillor Moshe Lefuma and his mother, Mokejang Dina Monehi, were gunned down by two unknown suspects in a brutal attack.
In a separate incident on August 15, 2024, taxi owner Khehla Isaiah Sithole was shot dead while sitting inside his vehicle in a yard near a driving academy.
At the time, it was reported that the gunmen approached from the street before opening fire.
Mophiring said investigators are also seeking breakthroughs in a double murder involving Melefe Richard Mokoena and Seeko Hazel Matshidiso.
The pair were ambushed while travelling in a white Isuzu KB bakkie from Elizabeth Ross Hospital to Katlehong village in Namahadi.
Mokoena died at the scene, while Matshidiso succumbed to her injuries later in hospital.
Another R50,000 reward has been set aside for information linked to the killing of taxi association chairperson Matshediso Rachel Nteo.
She was shot dead at her home in January 2025 at around 20:55 by unknown assailants.
“These cases remain a priority. We urge anyone with information, no matter how small, to come forward,” Mophiring said.
Anyone with information can contact the Phuthaditjhaba Murder and Robbery Unit’s Lieutenant Colonel Kokonyana on 082 332 3418 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
