KZN police arrest alleged hitman for murder of police officer

Police in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) have arrested a 36-year-old alleged hitman for the murder of police officer, Sergeant Ntombi Mbanjwa.

Hawks members from the serious organised crime investigation unit in Port Shepstone arrested the man at the Mpolweni area near Pietermaritzburg in the early hours of Thursday morning.  

Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo, said the man will be charged for murder and is expected to appear in the Umzimkhulu Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Murder

Mhlongo said Mbanjwa’s fiancé, Sergeant Ntokozo Mngqithi, was also arrested for her murder in November last year.

“On 11 April 2024, Sergeant Mbanjwa was sitting at his residence at Umzimkhulu when she was shot at by an unknown suspect. No one was present during the incident and Sergeant Mngqithi discovered the ordeal when he returned home later that evening. Both members were stationed at Umzimkhulu police station.

“A case of murder was reported at Umzimkhulu police station and Hawks members attended the crime scene. A thorough investigation was conducted and positive leads were followed. As a result Sergeant Mngqithi was arrested,” Mhlongo said.

Mhlongo said Mngqithi made a brief appearance in the Umzimkhulu Magistrate’s Court last year and was remanded in custody. He will be back in court on 22 January 2025.  

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Kidnapping

Earlier this week, the Hawks, arrested a 36-year-old suspect in connection with the kidnapping of two teenagers in Dimbaza, Eastern Cape.

The serious organised crime investigation by the Hawks in East London, in collaboration with the police in East London and the Mdantsane Flying Squad, arrested the suspect on Tuesday.

Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Avele Fumba said preliminary reports reveal that four armed suspects allegedly breached a factory’s perimeter fence and encountered three boys, aged 15 to 17 before kidnapping them.

“A swift disruptive operation led by the Hawks resulted in the arrest of a 36-year-old suspect in Dimbaza. Efforts to locate the remaining suspects are ongoing,” Fumba said.

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