Emfuleni finance official Martha Rantsofu was murdered in March 2026. (Photo: Facebook) Tsotang Tefo Rantsofu received a call from a close friend of his sister, Martha Rantsofu, at around 7pm on 30 March 2026 and immediately sensed something was wrong.
The friend, Robert Thema, asked if Tsotang would meet him near McDonald’s on Frikkie Meyer Boulevard in Vanderbijlpark. Because the restaurant is situated close to a hospital, Tsotang initially feared that his youngest sister had been seriously injured.
Speaking to Daily Maverick more than a month later, Tsotang recounted how he learnt of Martha’s death, about the trauma of his discovery, her dedication to public service and the questions surrounding her murder.
Martha, an Emfuleni Municipality finance official, was shot dead on 30 March 2026 while waiting for her car at a tyre shop on Frikkie Meyer Boulevard in Vanderbijlpark. Her murder, caught on CCTV footage, shows a single gunman walking up behind her and shooting her multiple times before fleeing.
The Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) is investigating the murder. The team’s involvement has raised speculation over whether Rantsofu’s murder may be connected to broader patterns of politically motivated violence and corruption. Tsotang said he had faith in the PKTT, which took all of Martha’s electronic devices as evidence.
Vaal Business Corporation CEO Klippies Kritzinger has told News24 that Martha was a whistleblower, claiming she alerted him to fraudulent payments, procurement irregularities and missing municipal funds she had uncovered.
That night, while Tsotang was on his way to McDonald’s, he received another call from his younger brother, who said he was going to the police station to open a case. Although no further details were given, the call deepened his anxiety.
As he approached the area, Tsotang noticed a heavy police presence and a cluster of vehicles near the meeting point. He was then directed toward the tyre shop, Mr X-Haust Mr Tyre.
He described the confusion that followed. Tsotang said that the crime scene was obscured by vehicles and tape. Four men approached him, but because they were not in uniform, he did not initially realise that they were officers. He recalled being taken behind the tape.
“The officers asked me to confirm my identity, and luckily I had my ID with me,” he said.
After confirming that he was Martha’s brother, officers asked if he could identify someone. That’s when he realised his sister was no more.
“I had to stand still for a few minutes to prepare myself for what I was about to see.”
“As I walked toward her, I could already see her legs, her shoes and her work clothes. I completely broke down when they lifted the sheet.”
He spent the evening washing his sister’s blood from the concrete floor of the tyre shop.
Dependable and hardworking
Tsotang described his sister as jolly, hardworking and deeply committed to helping community members through her role at the municipality.
“At times, people would call her at odd hours, and she would stop everything to open her laptop and try to help her clients, whether their power or water was out. She was dependable.”
Her death came less than a year after the death of their father in August 2025. Rantsofu says the family is still struggling to process the loss.
“We haven’t really spoken much about Martha among ourselves. It’s as if we are pretending there are still six of us”.
/file/attachments/orphans/unnamed12_374031.jpg "Martha Rantsofu’s brother, Tsotang Tefo Rantsofu, in a grey shirt, with his family after the murder of his sister Martha. (Supplied / Ahmed Kathrada Foundation / Facebook)")
Martha was the youngest of six siblings. Her brother says he misses her strength the most.
“She was my support system. We showed up for one another when it came time to arrange our father’s funeral. That experience brought us even closer together, and I knew I could depend on her through difficult times.”
Tsotang says this has been the most difficult for Martha’s daughter, who is in matric.
Questions continue
Tsotang said he was unaware of any threats against his sister’s life and had never known her to have enemies. However, he believes there may have been two possible sources of conflict.
He cited a minor dispute with a consultant linked to the municipality, as well as a dispute Martha had with a property developer who sold her a property.
Tsotang said Martha hired a private investigator after becoming suspicious, and later began receiving threats. He further alleged that people sometimes loitered outside her home at night, prompting security concerns.
Tsotang said that after his sister’s murder, some government officials blamed him after speculation emerged that Martha had been involved in a R16-million “ghost fleet” scandal. Tsotang said he didn’t know about the issue. Emfuleni officials have denied that Martha was involved, saying her role was too junior to oversee such a case.
However, Emfuleni Municipality has faced repeated scrutiny in recent years over allegations of financial mismanagement and governance failures.
Police did not respond to Daily Maverick’s request for comment on the investigation at the time of writing. DM