ELUKWATINI – Elukwatini police have arrested four people in connection with an apparent gang-related murder at Extension 6 in Elukwatini near Badplaas. The incident happened on March 16.
According to Sgt Peace Mbokane, Elukwatini police spokesman, the arrest of Zweli Zulu (18), Jabu Hlophe (18) and Siphesihle Gule (20) and a minor who cannot be named due to his age, came after police were tipped off by a concerned community member who had witnessed the incident.
“The victim, Ntuthuko Nkosi (17), tried to flee from those who were chasing him, but the attackers outran him and started to assault him. The informant who witnessed this ran to a safe place in fear of the attackers hearing him as they assaulted the helpless Ntuthuko. After the noise subsided, the informant came out of hiding and directed the police to the scene where he was lying in a pool of blood in the nearby bush. His face was swollen and he had multiple open wounds on the face, which seemed to have been caused by sharp objects. He succumbed to his injuries,”
said Mbokane.
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Mbokane said apparently the reason behind the attack that culminated in his murder of Ntuthuko was a gangsters’ territorial rivalry and a fierce contention of space.
He said it is believed that the victim had stepped into the prohibited territory of the rival gangsters, called the “Straghens,” and broke the code of limits.
He said while police were on the scene, they obtained information that assisted them in their investigation.
“While they were searching the suspects’ hideout, two dangerous weapons, a panga and a Rambo (knife) with blood stains on them were found. These weapons are believed to have been the ones which were used in the alleged crime,”
added Mbokane.
The four suspects appeared in the Eerstehoek Magistrate’s Court last Monday on murder charges. Their case was postponed to Monday for formal bail application. At the time of going to press, the verdict was unknown.
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