9 churchgoers who died in crash on Mother's Day to be laid to rest on Sunday

Eyewitness News18-05-2025

JOHANNESBURG - The nine churchgoers who lost their lives on Mother's Day in a car crash in KwaZulu-Natal will be laid to rest on Sunday.
It is understood that most of the victims who died in the minibus accident on the N2 after Mthuzini Toll Plaza were women.
READ: Sixteen injured in Mother's Day crash that killed 8 congregants, receiving treatment in KZN hospitals
The mass funeral of the Zion Christian Church congregants is taking place in Silethukukhayanya High School in Mtubatuba Municipality.
The provincial transport department said that Sunday marked the final stage of mourning.
Department's spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya said: "We wish to draw the attention of the media to the following activities: Mkhwanazi family: this is a child-headed household following the death of Mama Winnie Nobuhle Mkhwanazi (52) on Mother's Day. The children are now orphans, with no source of income. To complicate matters, children are living in abject poverty and in a dilapidated mud house. Tomorrow, we will announce interventions by the Department of Human Settlements."

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Boyfriend of slain Soweto woman remanded in custody after body found under bed

Daily Maverick

an hour ago

Daily Maverick

Boyfriend of slain Soweto woman remanded in custody after body found under bed

The community of Protea South, Soweto, is demanding justice following the murder of 20-year-old Ithabeleng Motleleng, allegedly by her boyfriend. The body of Ithabeleng Motleleng (20) was discovered by her family and police in Protea South, Soweto, on Friday, 30 May, after she had been missing for about a week. Her body was wrapped up and tucked under the bed in the shack she shared with her boyfriend, Zacharia Nonyane (27). 'I last saw her on Sunday [25 May]. She was [coming] from the mall where she said she was sent by her boyfriend to buy some KFC,' said Motleleng's mother, Francina Nyedimane (56). She said that the following morning, Nonyane came to her home and asked where Motleleng was. Nyedimane said maybe she was at a computer class at a nearby hall. On Tuesday, Nonyane came to the house again and asked where Motleleng was. Family members told him that he should know Motleleng's whereabouts, as they lived together. 'On Wednesday, he called, and when he called, he was fighting on the phone. He then told me that he last saw my daughter on Monday and he kicked her out because they had a fight,' said Nyedimane. 'I then asked him to post her in the local group as a missing person. I told him that if I get nothing on the post comments, I will go to the police station and report her as a missing person, and he said that's fine. 'When police came to question him on Monday, he fled. Then on Friday morning, I went to him and asked him why he was running away from the police after our agreement.' Nyedimane said Nonyane told her that he ran away because he had outstanding matters with the police. Nonyane was arrested on Friday after the police searched his shack and made the shocking discovery. 'My daughter was naked when we found her. When I asked the accused where her clothes were, he told me that they were drenched in blood, so he sent them off with the waste truck,' said Nyedimane. 'He did not say why he killed my daughter. He just kept saying sorry.' Nyedimane burst into tears and said, 'This boy has separated my daughter from her two-year-old child. Next year, when others celebrate Mother's Day, my daughter will be lying in her grave.' Motleleng's sister, Nthabiseng Nyedimane, said, 'We are deeply hurt as a family. We did not deserve this. Our sister did not deserve this. We want justice for her.' Court hearing Nonyane's first appearance in the Protea Magistrates' Court, on Monday, 2 May, was postponed. A court official told the community members who attended to support the family and demand justice that an outstanding procedure had to be concluded. When Nonyane appeared in court again on Tuesday, he denied having any previous convictions or that there were any protection or restraining orders against him The magistrate, Tshepiso Maepa, advised him that he was charged with a Schedule 5 offence and would not be granted bail unless an application for consideration of bail was made to the court. He was remanded in custody until 6 August. Community members have alleged that Nonyane committed other heinous crimes. In response, police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said, 'The suspect in the Protea case [Nonyane] currently does not have any [other] cases against him, but the investigation team is still profiling him.' Protesters target mother Community members protested on Monday outside the clinic where Nonyane's mother, Oralia Nonyane (55), works. They demanded she be fired and that her family be evicted from Protea South. They partially burned her son's shack, which is on the opposite side of the street from his family's home. A woman who was renting a portion of the shack, had to hurriedly pack her belongings and leave the area as she feared for her safety and that of her baby. Soon after she left, the rest of the shack was dismantled. Oralia Nonyane insisted she knew nothing about her son's deeds. She added that her own daughter was suffering abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, and that she had a protection order against him and was begging her daughter to walk away. 'I can't defend wrong. I myself asked him if he did it, but his response was, 'Mama, I'm sorry.' I said, 'If you killed her, you are cruel,'' said Nonyane. DM

Mkhwanazi slams doorless car cop [video]

The South African

10 hours ago

The South African

Mkhwanazi slams doorless car cop [video]

Doorless car: Mkhwanazi calls for disciplinary action against cop in viral video

The South African

13 hours ago

The South African

Doorless car: Mkhwanazi calls for disciplinary action against cop in viral video

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has ordered that disciplinary steps be taken against a police officer who was captured on a viral video driving a doorless marked police car. The video was taken on Sunday, 1 June, as the police vehicle was involved in an accident in the Durban North policing precincts where it collided with a minibus taxi. According to the police, the driver at the time of the accident was a female Warrant Officer who was trapped inside the vehicle, and the door had to be removed to rescue her. KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said without the door, although in a drivable condition, the vehicle should have been towed back to the police station. 'Instead of following prescribed procedures, another driver, also a Warrant Officer, drove the vehicle to the station, endangering his life and putting the name and the image of the SAPS into disrepute,' he said. Netshiunda said that although the doorless car was being escorted by another blue-light vehicle, which the video does not show, the fact remains that the car was not supposed to be driven in such an unroadworthy condition. Condemning the police officer, Mkhwanazi said they are working so hard to protect the image of the police in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and are doing their best to regain public trust. Mkhwanazi said the management of police in KwaZulu-Natal will not allow anyone to tarnish the image by disregarding regulations and procedures. 'The member who was driving the vehicle, the officer who gave such an unlawful instruction for the vehicle to be driven and anyone else who was involved in the decision to have that vehicle driven in that condition will be subjected to internal disciplinary processes. 'We shall never allow anyone to undo the positive impact that police have been making to create a safe and secure environment for all the people in the province of KwaZulu-Natal,' he added. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.