Police in North West on Friday dismissed widespread claims on social media alleging that a suspect has been arrested for the brutal murder of businessman Ben Gumbi.
The businessman was gunned down on Wednesday at a coffee shop in Rustenburg, in full view of staff and patrons at the eatery, and a video of the incident has been circulating.
North West police spokesperson, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone on Friday cautioned social media users against spreading fake news.
“Police in the province would like to indicate that no suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of Ben Gumbi as communicated on various social media platforms.
“Once more, we make a plea to the public to refrain from communicating false, misleading and unverified information, as this causes confusion even among family members. In addition, this is likely to affect our investigations,” said Mokgwabone.
On Wednesday, IOL reported that police were at the scene where the businessman had been shot by unknown assailants.
“Police are on a scene currently in Rustenburg where a man was shot. The case has not been opened yet and his name cannot be released yet; he must still be identified," Captain Aafje Botma told IOL in a WhatsApp message at 11am.
In closed-circuit television footage (CCTV) circulated on social media platforms, two gunmen, one wearing a white hat, approached the businessman while he went through his cellphone.
The gunman approaching on the left fired three bullets at close range, hitting him in the head.
As he fell, the gunman on his right hand fired one more bullet before they fled.
They left him lying in a pool of blood, his cellphone lying next to him, and his spectacles a few centimetres from his head.
A woman sitting on a chair ran inside the shop when she heard gunshots about three metres away from her.
In February, another prominent businessman popular in the taxi industry, Neo Mbatha, 42, was gunned down in a building at the corner of Klopper and Nelson Mandela Drive.
IOL