Warrant Officer Vhelaphi Rikhotso

Warrant Officer Vhelaphi Rikhotso, a member of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), was attached to the Serious Organised Crime division’s violent crimes unit at the time of the events under scrutiny. Testimony described him as a central figure in the immediate aftermath of the incident, having received first-hand information from Sergeant Ndou, his nephew, who was driving the marked Booysens police vehicle that blocked a black Nissan bakkie. Rikhotso was asked to take over the scene, which he described as chaotic, but chose to wait for senior officers to arrive before giving instructions. He also faced questions about allegedly preventing dog handlers from using their dogs at the scene, a point witnesses linked to him but distanced from the five accused.