Nobody was arrested or taken into custody when police raided two residences in Johannesburg early on Wednesday in connection with the Brett Kebble murder, police said.
However, several items were ”seized and removed”, said Director Sally de Beer.
She also confirmed that the four people identified in the search warrants issued after tip-offs matched the people questioned.
”Two police teams went to two different Johannesburg residences where two people in each residence were questioned.”
De Beer said the ”two search warrants were granted after sound information received”.
The special task force and detectives of the serious and violent crimes unit ”secured” the buildings to ”ensure the safety of the detectives and forensic experts. Police searched the residences and seized and removed certain items.”
The murder of mining magnate Kebble is ”a serious crime that is being investigated very seriously”, she said.
”We have a very, very professional team working literally around the clock. I am sure we will solve this case.”
De Beer denied that police had brandished AK-47s during the raids. ”Police followed procedures to the letter of the law.”
She said police will follow all leads and information.
Earlier, radio reports had said that an advertising man — identified as the Kebble hit man — and his girlfriend had been questioned, and that the man had been arrested.
Talk Radio 702 reported the man was released after police realised they had the wrong man.
The 28-year-old man was told by police that someone had signed an affidavit implicating him in the Kebble murder.
The man’s girlfriend told 702 they were awoken at 4am when about six heavily armed men, who looked as if they were part of a Swat team, burst into their flat.
The 22-year-old woman said they accused her boyfriend of being Kebble’s killer and claimed he had pictures of the murder scene.
She said she had overheard police officials in the passage say in Afrikaans that they had the wrong person.
She said she had also heard them say they had raided another house a few hours earlier in connection with the murder.
Kebble was gunned down in Melrose, Johannesburg, in September last year. — Sapa