Premier in tears after murder of Free State official

By Jenni Evans and Andre Grobler

Johannesburg – FREE State Premier Beatrice Marshoff said yesterday she was shocked by the murder of Noby Ngombane, a top official in her office.

“No-one knows why it should have happened to him,” Marshoff said through tears before breaking off the conversation, unable to continue.

Ngombane, 38, was shot dead at his house in Bloemfontein on Tuesday night.

Police spokesman Inspector Harry Nagel said a car pulled into the driveway of Ngombane’s house in Hillsboro around 10pm. He went outside to investigate and the vehicle’s occupants opened fire on him, sending him running back into the house.

He collapsed in the kitchen and later died in the Hydromed Hospital.

“A political motive for the murder is a possibility, but we cannot confirm it,” Nagel said.

The DA in the province said Ngombane’s death had “no characteristics of a robbery” and President Thabo Mbeki must accept responsibility for the investigation, in the wake of recent power struggles.

Ngombane was the head of the Free State government’s policy monitoring and evaluation unit in the premier’s office. He was also the premier’s and the provincial government spokesman, as well as a close confidant of Marshoff and a former spokesman of the ANC in the Free State.

The ANC in the province expressed shock at his death saying he had served both the party and the SA Communist Party with “distinction, great courage and an unswerving loyalty”.

Ngombane had been embroiled in controversy since being appointed head of the department of tourism, environmental and economic affairs in former premier Winky Direko’s government.

A KPMG audit report commissioned in 2003 by Ngombane, while still head of the department, noted a breakdown in the relationship between Ngombane and the previous tourism MEC, Sakhiwo Belot.

This was exposing the department to financial risk and the report recommended that one or both be replaced. The main reasons for this appeared to be a “lack of financial delegations”.

Last year Marshoff appointed Belot MEC for health.

Ngombane was moved to the Free State premier’s office to head the new policy unit, after renewed signs of conflict between him and the department’s new MEC, Benny Malakoane.

Malakoane had reportedly written to Marshoff stating that Ngombane, his then-head of department, was undermining his authority.

He was also worried about not being consulted by Ngombane on the suspension of four of the department’s five chief directors for alleged financial irregularities. They were later reinstated by a court order.

Ngombane was also reported to have had problems obtaining a National Intelligence Agency security clearance to attend certain meetings.

The Free State has recently experienced a spate of protests against what residents are calling poor service delivery, and three municipalities have been dissolved.

Marshoff’s appointment as premier came as a surprise as many had expected provincial ANC chairman Ace Magashule to take the position. – Sapa