A six-year-old murder investigation has taken a significant step forward after police arrested a second suspect in connection with the killing of Cape Town traffic officer Walter Van Rooyen.
Van Rooyen, 49, was shot dead in his patrol vehicle on 17 March 2020, shortly after he had arrested taxi driver Craig De Lilly for a traffic violation. Police had already pursued De Lilly in connection with the case, but investigators continued searching for another person believed to be linked to the murder.
The latest arrest has now brought another accused into the criminal justice process, although the allegations against him still have to be tested in court.
Second suspect traced through taxi routes
The suspect has been identified as Dwayne Smith.
According to the City of Cape Town, the SAPS Provincial Organised Crime Unit approached the municipality last month for assistance in locating the outstanding suspect. Investigators believed he was still operating within the taxi industry.
The City’s Safety and Security Information Management Service (SSIMS) subsequently conducted surveillance along several taxi routes.
That operation ultimately led to Smith’s arrest on Tuesday.
Smith made a brief appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday and chose not to apply for bail. The matter is expected to move to the Cape Town Regional Court, where Smith and De Lilly are expected to appear together as preparations for the murder trial continue.
Murder investigation stretches back to 2020
Van Rooyen was killed while carrying out his duties as a Cape Town traffic officer.
The circumstances surrounding his death began with the arrest of De Lilly for an alleged traffic violation on 17 March 2020.
De Lilly was initially arrested, but the charges against him were provisionally withdrawn. He was later arrested again and remains awaiting trial.
For more than six years, investigators continued working to identify and locate a second person believed to be connected to the killing.
The arrest of Smith therefore represents an important development in a case that has remained unresolved for Van Rooyen’s family for years.
It is important to note that an arrest is not a finding of guilt. Smith remains a suspect and will have the opportunity to challenge the allegations through the court process.
City technology plays growing role in suspect tracing
The Van Rooyen arrest is also part of a wider pattern of cooperation between Cape Town’s municipal safety structures and SAPS, with technology increasingly being used to identify and locate suspects.
The City said recent operations have made use of surveillance systems, CCTV and drone technology to support police investigations.
In one operation on 2 September, City services and SAPS worked together to arrest five suspects allegedly linked to smash-and-grab crimes in Elsies River.
According to the municipality, CCTV footage was used to identify the suspects before SAPS obtained warrants for their arrests. A City drone team then provided aerial surveillance during the operation, allowing officers on the ground to track the suspects before they were apprehended.
A separate operation in Langa on 9 September also resulted in an arrest involving a suspect allegedly linked to an attack on a motorist along Jakes Gerwel Drive on 3 September. Investigators used CCTV to identify and trace the suspect to an address in the area.
Six-year wait for answers
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith welcomed the latest arrest, particularly given the length of time Van Rooyen’s family has waited for the case to progress.
Smith also praised the officials involved in the tracing operation and highlighted the value of combining police intelligence with the City’s technological capabilities.
For Van Rooyen’s family, however, the latest development is only one stage in a much longer journey.
The arrest means another suspect will now enter the court process, but the eventual outcome will depend on the evidence presented before the Regional Court.
After more than six years, the focus now shifts from locating the outstanding suspect to ensuring that the murder case proceeds through the courts and that the evidence is properly tested.
What happens next?
Smith is expected to appear alongside De Lilly in the Cape Town Regional Court as the murder proceedings get under way.
The prosecution will ultimately have to establish the case against each accused beyond reasonable doubt.
Until then, both men remain accused persons and should be treated as such under South Africa’s criminal justice process.
For the family of Walter Van Rooyen, the latest arrest nevertheless marks a significant development in a case that has remained open since March 2020.
