23/04/2026
*MEDIA STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE: KWAZULU-NATAL*
THREE SUSPECTS ARRESTED FOR KIDNAPPING AND KILLING SEVEN PEOPLE IN NEWTOWN, NEWARK
*Durban: 23 April 2026* – Intensive investigation by police in Newark, working together with KwaDukuza Detectives, KwaDukuza TRT, Provincial Counter intelligence Unit, Provincial Counter Kidnapping Unit, Provincial Serious and Violence Crimes Unit and police’s E2 partners led to the arrest of three suspects who kidnapped seven people from a house at a lot in Newtown, Newark on Tuesday night, 21 April 2026 and later killed all of them later that night in Melmoth.
Reports indicate that a maid who worked for the victims arrived at her place of work on Wednesday morning, 22 April 2026 and found the house broken into, with seven people and a vehicle missing. Newark police were summoned to the scene and various police units were activated. Swift police investigations led them to Hlomendlini area where two suspects were arrested on Wednesday afternoon. One of the suspects was found in possession of a cellphone which belongs to one of the kidnapped victims. Information directed police investigations to Dendetu area in Sundumbili where the third suspect was arrested. He was found in possession of a firearm. A total of eleven (11) cellphones were found in possession of the suspects.
Police uncovered that one of the suspects worked for the victims. He and his accomplices allegedly broke into the victims’ house, tied them up with a rope and one them allegedly r***d the 20-year-old woman before loading them onto a vehicle belonging to one of the victims, and drove to Melmoth, a distance of approximately 200km from the scene. Police also unearthed that the same suspect who r***d the 20-year-old at the house, r***d her again in Melmoth, before demanding banking details and Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) from three victims. After collecting the banking details, the suspects shot and killed three victims to death. The other four victims were brutally stabbed to death.
Police also discovered that on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, several bank transfers were made from the victims’ accounts. The suspects led the police to Melmoth on Wednesday where bodies of the seven victims aged between 20 and 83 years old were found.
The suspects, aged 21, 26 and 28 years old will appear in the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 24 April 2026.
The Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi has commended police for the swift arrest of suspects and instructed investigating officers to ensure that justice is served so that the families of the victims may get closure. “Some crimes are difficult for police to prevent, however if a crime happens, police’s reaction capacity must be equal to the task and crack the case. It is worrisome that one of the suspects was employed by the victims. We are urging employers to do background check on all the people they employ and also study their suspicious behaviour. Some cases, especially in the farms and secluded areas, are committed by people who are familiar and close to the victims. Police will leave no stone unturned in quest for a maximum jail sentence for the suspects. We will also analyse every piece of evidence to see if the suspect can be linked to other cases in and around the province”, said Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi.
