The South African Police Service (Saps) believes that the establishment of a multi-disciplinary team to deal with political killings in Mpumalanga will lead to arrests and send a strong message to those who order such hits.

This comes after Police Minister Bheki Cele visited the home of slain councillor Sibonelo Mthembu, where he affirmed that the Police Ministry would set up a task team to handle political killings in the province.

“We are sure as the Ministry that through the intervention of a specialised team to zone in on such killings, which are often complex . . . we will make arrests,” said Police Ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba.

He added that there are plans to increase the scope of the task team to other provinces, which will be done following proper analysis.