Daily Update

Two men shot dead on pathway in Phoenix
PHOENIX, KWAZULU-NATAL – Two men were shot dead on a pathway in Phoenix this afternoon (Friday, 7 August 2026).

Members of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), who were on patrol in the area, were flagged down by a member of the public.

On arrival, officers found the first deceased male with blood-soaked clothing. A second man was located approximately 100 metres away on an unpaved pathway. He had also been shot.

A large crowd gathered at the scene but did not provide details about the killings. Some residents alleged that the men were habitual thieves, though this could not be immediately confirmed.

One spent 9mm cartridge was recovered at the scene.

Police are investigating the double murder. Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest police station or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.

💔 Sisters and accomplice face court for killing mother over R80 000 insurance
Two sisters allegedly murdered their 61-year-old mother in a brutal attack so they could claim her funeral insurance money of R80 000. 😭⚠️

According to reports, the sisters, assisted by a male accomplice, lured their mother to a house in Barberton. There they kidnapped her, allowed the man to r**e her, then beat and strangled her until she died. 💔

They later carried her body and placed it on railway tracks in an attempt to make it appear as if she had been hit by a train. 😢

A passer-by discovered the body before a train arrived and alerted the police.

Investigations linked the sisters to the crime. They in turn implicated the man who had assisted them. 🚨

All three have been arrested. The case is currently before the courts. ⚖️

Uncle stabs 7-year-old niece to death, then hangs himself*

**A 7-year-old girl identified as Relebohile Princes was stabbed to death by her 30-year-old uncle following a domestic dispute.**

According to reports, the uncle became angry after a misunderstanding. He allegedly took out a knife, grabbed his sister’s child, dragged her into the bathroom, and stabbed her in the neck until she died.

When the child’s mother ran to call neighbours for help, she encountered the uncle at the door as he was leaving the house.

He was later found hanging from a tree near the family home.

Police are investigating the murder and the subsequent su***de. Condolences are extended to the family.

Family demands answers after Nomhle Mbhele found dead at boyfriend’s home

PROTEA GLEN EXT 11, SOWETO – The Mbhele family is devastated by the death of their daughter Nomhle Mbhele (26), who died at her boyfriend’s residence on 2 August 2026.

According to her sister, the family was not informed of her death at the time. They only learned of it when they were called to the government mortuary to identify her body.

A post-mortem examination revealed that Nomhle had been severely assaulted.

She suffered internal bleeding, signs of being dragged by the hair, bruises around the eye, stab wounds, and burn injuries.

The family is calling on police to thoroughly investigate the matter.

They are also appealing to neighbours living near the boyfriend’s home to come forward with any information they may have, saying it is unlikely that no one heard or saw anything.

To date, the boyfriend has not been arrested, and the family says they still have no clear answers about how Nomhle died.

Anyone with information is urged to
contact 078 0161 910 or the nearest police station.

Man gets 40 years for stabbing new wife 18 times

SECUNDA, MPUMALANGA – Werner Müller (44) has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of his wife, René Müller.

The couple had been married for only two months when Müller stabbed René 18 times with a kitchen knife in their Danie Theron Street townhouse in Secunda.

According to the court, the fatal attack followed an argument. Müller then cleaned the scene with pine gel, stuffed his wife’s body into a sports bag, and hid it in an outside room before fleeing to Mozambique. He was later arrested and returned to South Africa.

He also received a concurrent five-year sentence for defeating the ends of justice and was declared unfit to possess a firearm.

The National Prosecuting Authority welcomed the sentence as a strong message against gender-based violence.

Brother arrested for kidnapping and murder of disabled sister

LIMPOPO – A 24-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of his sister, Anna Ramollo (18), who lived with a disability.

Anna and her brother Nakedi Ramollo went missing from their home in Rakgoatha Village outside Moletlane on 1 May 2026. On 7 May, Anna’s body was discovered buried in a shallow grave near Bergeneck Road.

While her body was recovered, Nakedi remained missing for more than two months.

He was tracked down and arrested in Polokwane on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, following an intelligence-driven operation by the Provincial Tracking Team and Provincial Investigation Unit.

The suspect is expected to appear in the Zebediela Periodical Court on Friday, 7 August 2026, on charges of kidnapping and murder.

Police investigations are continuing.

PKTT investigates murder of eThekwini councillor Sibusiso Khwela

KLAARWATER, eTHEKWINI – The KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) is investigating the murder of ANC Ward 17 councillor Sibusiso (Khekhe) Khwela, who was shot dead at the Sizakala Centre in Klaarwater on Thursday afternoon.

According to information from the scene, the shooter waited in the queue like other members of the public.

When he got close to Khwela, he pulled out a firearm and shot him dead. The gunman then fled during the chaos and is believed to have escaped in a vehicle parked nearby.

PKTT detectives are already on the ground leading the investigation.

The ANC in eThekwini said Khwela had previously indicated he would not be available for re-election. The party has appealed for calm.

Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Woman kidnapped from boyfriend’s house and murdered in Limpopo

THABAKHUBEDU VILLAGE, LIMPOPO – Police are investigating the kidnapping and murder of 26-year-old Thamiah Phora, whose body was found with multiple gunshot wounds.

According to police, two armed men forced their way into her boyfriend’s house in Thabakhubedu Village at about 9pm on Saturday, 1 August 2026, while he was not home. They abducted Phora.

A single gunshot was reportedly heard a short distance from the house shortly afterwards.

On Sunday, 2 August, her body was discovered near the Ntwane soccer ground with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body. She was positively identified as the kidnapped victim.

No arrests have been made yet. The motive remains unknown.

Limpopo police have condemned the killing and appealed for information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest police station or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.

Teenager rescued from burning shack in Amaoti

AMAOTI, KWAZULU-NATAL – A 19-year-old man sustained burn injuries after an informal structure caught fire in Amaoti early this morning (Thursday, 6 August 2026).

Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) responded to a call at approximately 03:42.

On arrival, officers found that community members had already extinguished the flames.

According to relatives, the teenager was asleep inside the shack when he woke up and screamed for help after realising the structure was on fire.

Family members and neighbours rushed to the scene and managed to pull him to safety.
He sustained burns to his neck, arms, back and leg
The house and its contents, including furniture, clothing and a bed, were extensively damaged.

The cause of the fire has not yet been established.

Police probe deaths of two St Stithians teens found at Sabie lodge*

SABIE, MPUMALANGA** – Police have opened an inquest after the bodies of two young people linked to St Stithians College were found at a lodge in Sabie.

Cameron Waldeck-Cooks, 17, a Grade 11 pupil at St Stithians Girls’ College, and Ethan Coetzee, 19, who matriculated from St Stithians Boys’ College last year, were discovered deceased at the lodge on Monday, 3 August 2026.

Police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed that an inquest docket has been opened. A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of their deaths. Authorities have not yet released further details on the circumstances.

St Stithians College has paid tribute to both, describing Cameron as a kind, sportswoman who excelled in rowing and netball, and Ethan as a young man of strength, commitment and humility who played first-team rugby.

Condolences have been extended to the Waldeck-Cooks and Coetzee families.