Eastern Cape police arrest suspect in ANC councillor Sicelo Mleve's murder

Mleve was fatally shot on June 20 at approximately 6:50 PM in his Zwide office in Gqeberha during a post-voter registration debriefing meeting. Two armed suspects reportedly stormed the office, held about 10 people at gunpoint, and demanded their cellphones. One of the suspects shot Mleve multiple times before fleeing.

He was declared deceased at the scene. The suspect was apprehended in KwaZakhele by the provincial serious violent crime investigation unit and appeared in the New Brighton Magistrate's Court on charges of murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm. The South African Police Service stated that further arrests are possible as the investigation continues.

Mleve was a Ward 27 councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay and a member of the ANC Nelson Mandela regional executive committee. Both the ANC Eastern Cape and the South African Communist Party SACP have condemned his killing, with the SACP describing it as part of prevalent political violence and organized crime in the Eastern Cape province.