Two suspects, aged 25 and 27, were arrested and will be facing charges of murder and kidnapping after five members from one family were found dead in a plantation in Richmond. The two men were caught at KwaZinqamu in Elandskop, on Saturday, 11 December.
The gruesome burnt remains of Sizwe Mauris Ngcobo (64), Thandazile Zondi (41), Bonokwakhe Khuboni (40), Sibongile Fanelesibonge (2), and one-month-old Libra Ngcobo were discovered by police.
The victims were kidnapped from their farm in Boston just outside Pietermaritzburg on 16 November. Their vehicle was also reported missing. A missing persons docket was reported at Boston SAPS. A joint operation was conducted on Monday, 13 December, which led the team to Byrne in Richmond where the victims’ 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,” said police. More arrests are imminent as investigations progress.
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 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.
