The investigation of the murder of soccer star Marc Batchelor has gone cold.
Despite questioning about 15 people who had close ties to Batchelor and his business operations, investigators have been unable to identify any suspects or even a motive.
“There are lots of dead ends,” said a source close to the investigation.
Batchelor, a debt collector with links to the underworld, was gunned down in July by two men on a motorbike in the driveway of his Olivedale house in Johannesburg.
The Sunday Times learnt that police were investigating several possible motives. One was a dispute with an Israeli businessman for whom Batchelor was collecting a debt.
Another was that he had stolen money and drugs from an East European cocaine smuggling syndicate. A police crime intelligence source said investigators were searching for two East European nationals.
“Investigators flew to Cape Town last month to interview several people,” he said. “These are people in the private security and nightclub scene.”
The source said that despite detectives securing and viewing WhatsApp messages and CCTV footage, the killers had not been identified, nor had any motive for the murder been established.
Col Lungelo Dlamini, a police spokesperson, said detectives from the provincial investigation unit were still investigating.
“No suspects have been arrested. The investigating team is reluctant to share any details of investigation as it may jeopardise progress on the case,” he said.
Batchelor’s brother Warren declined to comment.
“I don’t have any news on the investigation,” he said.
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