KZN Anti-Corruption officers have arrested a police warrant officer for allegedly helping three suspects escape from police holding cells at KwaMsane police station.

The officer was arrested at KwaMsane on Friday on charges of “aiding and abetting suspects to escape from lawful custody, defeating the ends of justice and corruption”, provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said on Sunday.

He said the three suspects escaped from the holding cells after cutting through steel burglar bars and a roof iron sheet.

A month later, one of the escapees, Sibusiso Gumede, was rearrested at a roadblock in Vryheid.

Netshiunda said investigations found that the escape of Gumede and his accomplices was allegedly “orchestrated by a Detective Warrant Officer” who supplied them with a steel saw after they allegedly paid him R5,000.

A warrant of arrest was issued by the court and the officer was arrested.

The policeman is expected to appear in the KwaMsane Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

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The first court appearance of the three men suspected in the killing of a family of seven in Newtown, Newark, KwaZulu-Natal has been postponed to next week due to security concerns.

Making the announcement outside the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning, KZN police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda confirmed that both the investigators and the court agreed on the postponement.

“The court and investigating officers came to an agreement that the suspects will make their first appearance on Tuesday,” Netshiunda said.

Media houses have applied for permission to record and livestream the proceedings, with a ruling on those applications expected before the next court date.

The seven victims have been named in reports as local businessman Allen Monswamy (52), his wife Sandy (57), their children Kraidon (26) and Shamaria (20), and relatives Gonosagren Padayachee (51), Mooniamma Padayachee (78) and Mariama Happanah (83).

They were allegedly kidnapped from their Newark home on Tuesday night and their bodies later identified in a remote area near Melmoth by the suspects after their arrest.

Investigations indicate that the Monswamys were held captive for several hours, during which they were assaulted and forced to hand over bank cards and personal identification numbers.

Police said that Shamaria was sexually assaulted at least twice during the ordeal.

It was previously confirmed that the investigation began when a domestic worker arrived at the home on Wednesday morning and discovered it had been ransacked, with vehicles missing and the family nowhere to be found.

Officers from multiple units were then mobilised and traced a cellphone belonging to one of the victims, leading to the arrest of two suspects in the Hlomendlini area later that day.

Further information directed investigators to Sundumbili, where a third suspect was arrested in possession of a firearm.

One of the accused had previously worked for the family.

Further investigations revealed that several bank transactions were made from the victims’ accounts.

The suspects, aged 21, 26 and 28, are expected to face multiple charges, including murder, kidnapping, robbery and rape.

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The South African Police Service (SAPS) National Task Team (NTT), deployed in Emanguzi in the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal to curb and combat cross-border crime, has secured another conviction of a vehicle smuggler.

The area is on the border of Mozambique. 

Since April 2025, the task team has apprehended 96 suspects for various offences, confiscated 16 illegal firearms, including imitation weapons, and recovered 67 stolen vehicles, as well as one truck.

The Mtubatuba Regional Court this week sentenced 45-year-old Mpumelelo Cloud Goba after he pleaded guilty to the theft of a Toyota Fortuner valued at more than R700,000. The vehicle was stolen from a parking lot in Durban Central in August 2024. 

Goba was handed an effective seven-year prison sentence, with half of the term suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of a similar offence during that period. 

The vehicle, which had been fitted with fraudulent registration plates, was intercepted en route to Emanguzi, where it was due to be handed over to another individual for smuggling into Mozambique.

Goba was arrested and charged with motor vehicle theft. Investigators opposed his bail application in the Hluhluwe District Court, ensuring he remained in custody until his case was transferred and finalised at the Mtubatuba Regional Court.

Authorities say the sentence highlights the Emanguzi Task Team’s firm resolve and continued efforts to decisively tackle cross-border crimes, particularly the smuggling of stolen vehicles from South Africa to neighbouring countries such as Mozambique.

The Task Team said it remains committed to intensifying operations in northern KwaZulu-Natal and surrounding areas, with a focus on crimes including vehicle theft and smuggling, robbery, carjacking, illegal possession of firearms, murder, attempted murder, and related violent offences.

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Police are still hunting at least two suspects after a shooting in Wentworth, south of Durban, that left two young men dead and seven others injured.

The attack took place on Major Calvert Street on Friday.

According to police, a group was seated outside a block of flats when a grey Mazda 3 pulled up and two men got out and opened fire.

The people scattered as the gunmen pursued them, firing multiple rounds.

A 19-year-old and a 22-year-old died at the scene, while seven others sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to nearby hospitals. During the attack, a dog was also shot and killed.

KwaZulu-Natal South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda told Inside Metros that investigators could not yet definitively classify the attack as gang-related, and called on residents to assist police.

“Investigations are ongoing. Police are urging those who have information regarding the incident to inform the police. We are encouraging community members to isolate criminals by giving tip-offs to the police about criminals in Wentworth and surrounding areas,” Netshiunda said.

While the motive remains unclear, Netshiunda said officers suspected that gang rivalries and drug turf wars might have contributed to the shooting.

“We are doing everything possible to bring those responsible to justice and to restore safety in the area,” he said.

He said a manhunt was under way for at least two suspects believed to be involved and that police were deepening cooperation with local structures.

“We are strengthening relations with communities through the Community Police Forum. Intelligence has also been deployed in the area to sniff out suspected criminals,” Netshiunda said.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli said he had spoken to provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to request additional deployments in the area following the killings.

“The people of KwaZulu-Natal deserve to live in safe and peaceful environments. We cannot allow gun-wielding criminals to hold our communities hostage. I am calling for immediate action, strengthened policing operations, and the full weight of the law to be brought upon those responsible for this barbaric act,” he said.

Ntuli said he would take the premier’s crime-fighting imbizo to Wentworth to engage directly with residents, alongside law enforcement and crime-fighting agencies.

Residents say the killings form part of a broader pattern of violence in Wentworth, which has seen a rise in shootings and gang-related clashes in recent months, leaving communities fearful and demanding stronger interventions.

Earlier this month, police executed two search warrants in Hime Street, Wentworth, seizing a substantial quantity of cocaine — including pure and powdered forms, crack cocaine and miracle powder — with an estimated street value of R50,000.

The raid was carried out by the Durban Metro Police Department in partnership with other law-enforcement agencies and followed a spike in shootings in the area.

Last year, the community was shaken by a series of violent confrontations linked to turf wars between rival gangs competing for control of drug routes and territory. Despite increased patrols and community policing initiatives, residents say the violence has continued.

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