The scope of the investigation into the assassination of liquidator Cloete Murray and his son Thomas is believed to have been widened to look into possible motives coming from within the liquidation industry.
The Sunday Times understands that a recording of a private phone conversation between two liquidators speculating over the motive for the killings has raised new questions over who could have been behind the deadly drive-by shooting in broad daylight on the N1 near Midrand, Johannesburg, last Saturday.
In the recording between Johan Engelbrecht and Karen Keevy, heard by the Sunday Times, no-one is fingered but there is a lengthy discussion revealing infighting and cut-throat competition between liquidators for contracts.
Engelbrecht and Keevy confirmed the veracity of the phone call to the Sunday Times but would not elaborate on their conversation.
There has been widespread speculation that the hit on Murray and his son was linked to contracts they had worked on.
As the founder director of the Sechaba Trust, Murray was involved in high-profile cases including the liquidation of state capture-linked Bosasa, and Comair, the operator of British Airways and Kulula airlines. Murray was also one of the business rescue practitioners for the Gupta-owned Shiva Uranium mine.
Police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Sello declined to comment on the recording.
“The case is still under investigation and I am not at liberty to divulge the details,” Sello said on Friday.
Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan, whose organisation this week offered a R1m reward for information leading to the arrests of the hitmen, said the recording has let on that there may be other suspects than those linked to the contracts Murray had worked on.
“We have shared this recording with the police investigators and this is why they have broadened the scope of their investigation from looking at people who were sequestrated by Cloete to also include industry colleagues.”
On a macro basis you would think they [the government] must double up on their efforts to fight crime. It starts there, especially white-collar crime
— Bouwer van Niekerk, attorney
Insolvency practitioners have raised concerns about their safety since the shooting. In December, Peter van den Steen, the court-appointed curator for the Gupta-linked Optimum Coal, resigned after death threats to him and his family.
Van den Steen, who knew Murray, told the Sunday Times: “He and his son were doing good work. He was one of the highest-profile and most competent liquidators around.
"The absence of law and order must surely be an indication of where we are as a country. I do not believe that practitioners will be falling over themselves to take on high-profile politicised matters.”
Bouwer van Niekerk, an attorney focused on business rescue, insolvency, mining, labour and administrative law-related matters, said that in high-profile cases, murder was intended to discourage the work of business rescue practitioners (BRPs).
“This is a loud message and it may serve as a deterrent, but that is for the individual liquidators to make the call. It is worrisome. On a macro basis you would think they [the government] must double up on their efforts to fight crime. It starts there, especially white-collar crime,” he said.
VBS Mutual Bank liquidator Anoosh Rooplal said with the soaring cases of fraud and corruption in South Africa, the chief master and the various master’s offices must co-ordinate with South African protection and enforcement authorities at the highest levels to ensure that BRPs and liquidators are protected.
“Sadly, there is nothing in legislation that affords BRPs and liquidators such protection. Liquidators often deal with various estates involving fraud and malfeasance. They are therefore essential professionals to help identify and eradicate ... fraud.
“Failure by the government and politicians to acknowledge and provide such protection is disastrous for the country. They must find and bring to justice the criminals, especially the upper echelons who intentionally orchestrate and bring harm to liquidators and BRPs,” he said.
Generally, the demand for private security among the country’s business executives is on the rise.
Gareth Katzew, CEO at NSA Security Consultants South Africa, said there had been a notable increase in the demand for protection services, including bodyguards or close protection officers, over the past 12 to 18 months, and an almost unprecedented demand for armoured vehicles over that same period.
“Many sophisticated criminal syndicates are embedding themselves within large corporates and multinationals, and the result of this is ... a significant increase in risk against senior managers and executives who are not willing to be complicit in the illegal activities. We have seen this with a number of our clients,” Katzew said.
Fidelity Services Group CEO Wahl Bartmann said: “We can confirm that there has been an increase in these types of requests. However, due to the sensitive and confidential nature of this service we cannot provide further details.”
Renso Smit, G4S Southern Africa’s regional cluster director, said the rising levels of general and organised crime in South Africa, including crime that affected the personal safety of executives and strategic personnel, had increased the need for professional close protection services.
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