Judgment due for former KZN councillor accused of killing partner, kids in fire
KZN police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi will be in the Ladysmith Regional Court tomorrow for the judgment and sentencing of former DA councillor Michael Buthelezi.
Ladysmith Gazette reports that Buthelezi is alleged to have burnt down the house his family was sleeping in, killing his partner (41) and three children (aged two, six and 12).
He was also charged with defeating the ends of justice after opening a false case.
The incident happened in the Bethany area of Bergville in October 2023.
In the trial, Buthelezi claimed he was politically targeted and attacked, and that he survived the house fire.
Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.
Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
Read original story on www.citizen.co.za
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
an hour ago
- The Citizen
Family tragedy in KZN as man killed in violent domestic attack
A violent domestic dispute in KwaMpande, Pietermaritzburg, has left a community reeling after 61-year-old Bongani Enoch Nzimande was fatally assaulted with a steel pipe, allegedly by a close relative. According to The Witness, the confrontation, said to have started over the 26-year-old relative sleeping in Nzimande's bedroom, escalated into what family members have described as a shocking and senseless act of violence. Scene of the attack When The Witness visited the home yesterday, signs of the brutal attack were still visible. Fresh soil-covered blood stains were outside the outdoor bedroom where the incident is alleged to have taken place. A visibly shaken family member recalled the horror. 'It just can't be. How could he? We cannot believe that he could have done something so terrible,' she said. She added that the family was already mourning the death of a sister who passed away in February. 'We've just buried our sister … now it's him. When is the family catching a break? This is traumatising. My brother was our only hope, the only man still alive among our siblings.' Aftermath and memories Describing the moments after the attack, she said: 'We found my brother lying on the ground in the yard. The [relative] had already fled the scene. We rushed him to Taylors Halt Clinic, but he sadly died on Sunday. To this day, we still don't know what truly sparked the argument.' She remembered Nzimande as a cheerful man who enjoyed telling jokes. His injuries, she said, were severe. 'We are still in shock. The brutality of it is what's hardest to accept. We want justice to be served.' A community resident, who did not wish to be named for safety reasons, said the killing has shaken the area. 'We are deeply saddened by what has happened. 'This incident is beyond tragic, and our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time. It's just horrific and heartbreaking,' he said. uMgungundlovu SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Sifiso Gwala confirmed that the suspect was arrested on Sunday and is expected to appear in court today. The court outcome was not yet known by the time of publishing. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Commander-in-Chief asleep at the wheel
South Africa faces unprecedented challenges under President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose leadership is marred by scandals and inaction. From the Phala Phala scandal to rising lawlessness, Lance Witten explores the implications of a leader seemingly out of touch with reality. Image: Dall-E 3 South Africa is spiralling into chaos under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa. Here is a leader who has stumbled from one embarrassing crisis to another, fumbling the ball, seemingly fiddling while Pretoria burns. Most infamous among Ramaphosa's foibles was his handling of the break-in at his Phala Phala home, a scandal for which he has so far escaped accountability. We've never gotten to the bottom of the hundreds of thousands of dollars stashed in couches and other furniture that adorn his Limpopo game farm, with investigations and reports into the matter either conveniently clearing the president of any wrongdoing, or having had their adoption and public release blocked by political machinery. I assume one of the shady deals made to include the DA in the Government of National Collusion– erm, Unity was for the centre-right party to drop the matter. But it's not just Phala Phala that taints Cyril's "legacy" – his complicity in the 2012 Marikana Massacre prior to him taking up the highest office in the land is another thing he's never faced the music for. Now, as South Africa's president, Cyril Ramaphosa has fallen asleep at the wheel. Ramaphosa's military chief, General Rudzani Maphwanya goes on an ostensibly unsanctioned visit to Iran to meet his army counterpart, placing further strain on tensions between the US and South Africa. The visit was a clear disjunct with South Africa's foreign policy. Did Ramaphosa not know General Maphwanya was visiting Iran? Does the president not receive a daily security briefing? Is he not the Commander-in-Chief? Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading In July, Navy Admiral Monde Lobese launched a scathing attack against the Treasury, accusing it of sabotaging the operational capacity of the SANDF through inadequate budget allocations. Also in July, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, KZN Police Commissioner, held a press briefing dressed in Special Task Force fatigues, dropping bomb shells about corruption and interference in police investigations at the highest level of SAPS management, right up to the Police Minister. All this happens on Ramaphosa's watch, and he does... nothing? Does he even know what's going on? Ramaphosa admitted in April 2022 to the commission investigating the 2021 civil unrest and riots that cost the South African economy R50 billion (with a "B), that there was a failure of Crime Intelligence leading up those eight fateful days in July. Riots that happened on his watch. Surely such a failure would not be allowed to repeat itself by our Commander-in-Chief? Nope, fast forward to July 2025 and we have vigilante group March and March actively preventing South African citizens from entering public healthcare facilities, in full view of the police, emboldened by the fact that some of them—whose actions are illegal and resulted in their arrest—were let off with a warning. March and March continues to operate illegally, demanding people present ID documents to enter public healthcare facilities. The security cluster is "monitoring the situation", while the Commander-in-Chief holds a National Dialogue costing the country millions.
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
Police hunt suspects after brothers shot dead outside Merebank church
Police have launched a massive manhunt for the suspects who shot and killed two brothers outside St Mary's Parish Catholic Church in Merebank, south of Durban, on Saturday. According to the Rising Sun, the victims, identified as Tevin and Keagan Beck, were attending the funeral service of their uncle when the shooting occurred. It is alleged the incident happened after one of the brothers gave a speech at the gathering. In a statement, PT Alarms says its tactical and armed response units responded swiftly to the double fatal shooting on Juggernaut Road in Merebank, where the two brothers were gunned down. Wentworth SAPS also responded, along with Community Policing Forum members and other security companies. The circumstances surrounding the shooting and the motive for the killings are under police investigation. Communications officer of Wentworth SAPS Captain Mbuso Gumede says: 'We are investigating two counts of murder. No arrests have been made as yet. Anyone who can assist with information is urged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or Wentworth SAPS on 079 500 1167. Anonymity can be guaranteed.' Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on
