News Desk Reporter
A proposed R500,000 reward from the Democratic Alliance will not be added to the South African Police Service’s reward for information on the deaths of women in Ekurhuleni.
Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili said SAPS could not combine the DA’s offer with the R400,000 reward announced by Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane.
“This is a state issue,” Mosikili said during a media briefing on Thursday.
She said police were also not aware of the conditions attached to the DA’s offer.
“I don’t know what they are combining, but it cannot be combined. It has never been done before,” she said.
SAPS announced the R400,000 reward for information that could assist with investigations into the deaths of women whose bodies have been found in Ekurhuleni.
The DA later announced a further R500,000 reward.
DA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Khathutshelo Rasilingwane said the party wanted to support law enforcement’s efforts.
The party said it would need to submit information to SAPS. Proof that the information had been handed over would also be required before the DA would consider paying its reward.
Mosikili said SAPS has an established process for rewards linked to criminal investigations.
The R400,000 announced by Dimpane will therefore continue through the state process, including assessment by the relevant committee.
The DA’s offer cannot simply be added to the SAPS reward to create a single R900,000 police-administered reward.
The development comes as investigators continue probing the deaths of women whose bodies have been found at different locations in and around Ekurhuleni.
Police have not confirmed that all the cases are connected.
The discovery of a ninth woman’s body in Ekurhuleni has added to public concern as the investigation continues.