KWAZULU-NATAL – On Wednesday, 02 August Hawks members from Richards Bay Serious Organised Crime Investigation working together with King Cetshwayo District Task Team, Empangeni Flying Squard and Tactical Response Team arrested Samkelo Mpanza (33) and Ntombizodwa Ntinga (44) for murder of Warrant Officer Nkosinathi Ntinga (49) who was stationed at KwaMbonambi police station.
It is alleged that on Tuesday, Warrant Officer Ntinga was at his Phathane homestead with his wife, Sergeant Ntombizodwa Ntinga and a family friend when they were accosted by two suspects at gunpoint. The suspects robbed the two police officers of their service pistols before forcing Warrant Officer Ntinga and a family friend into a vehicle.
They fled the scene and allegedly pushed the family friend out of the moving vehicles few kilometres away from Ntinga homestead. Warrant Officer Ntinga was later found at Mfolozi area near Msunduzi River with multiple gunshot wounds in his body and a family friend’s vehicle was found abandoned in the sugar cane fields.
A case of murder, armed robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder and kidnapping was reported at KwaMbonambi police station. The case docket was allocated to the Hawks members for an intensive investigation.
Police worked tirelessly since the date of the incident and managed to arrest the two accused on 2 August 2023. One service pistol taken during the incident was recovered. They briefly appeared in the KwaMbonambi Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 3 August 2023 and they were remanded in custody. The case was postponed to 8 August 2023.
The KwaZulu-Natal Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Provincial Head, Major General (Dr) Lesetja Senona welcomed the arrest of the two accused and applauded the team for the good work of arresting the accused within 24 hours.
Content retrieved from: https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=47632.
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