DURBAN – On Saturday, 11 December 2021, two suspects aged 25 and 27 were taken in for questioning after five members from one family went missing. The two men were caught at KwaZinqamu in Elandskop.
The men were questioned regarding the disappearance of Sizwe Mauris Ngcobo (64), Thandazile Zondi (41), Bonokwakhe Khuboni (40), Sibongile Fanelesibonge (02) and one-month-old baby Libra Ngcobo. The victims were kidnapped from their farm in Boston just outside Pietermaritzburg on 16 November 2021. Their vehicle was also missing. A missing person docket was reported at Boston SAPS on 19 November 2021.
A joint operation was conducted yesterday which led the team to Byrne in Richmond where the victim’s vehicle was found burnt. Further investigation led police to a plantation in Richmond where the gruesome discovery was made. The five burnt and decomposed bodies of the missing victims were found.
More arrests are imminent as investigations progress. Charges of murder and kidnapping are being investigated by Richmond SAPS. The two suspects have been formally charged for murder and kidnapping. They are expected to make their first appearance in the Richmond Magistrates Court this morning.
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi congratulated the team who made the breakthrough. “Over the days after the family went missing, a team comprising of various role players from the SAPS and Magma Security joined the search for the missing victims. The team worked tirelessly after the matter was reported to ensure that the missing victims were found and that justice is served. At this stage investigations indicate that their deaths may be linked to a family feud,” he said.
Source: South African Police Service