Update: Couple arrested after landlord hacked to death with sickle in KZN

A couple wanted in connection with the brutal killing of their landlord in Shakashead, north of Durban, was tracked down and arrested by Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa).

The Witness reports that Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram confirmed that the pair, both 34, were found hiding in a five-bedroom home in Shakashead yesterday, after 27 tip-offs were received. The suspects were allegedly preparing to flee the area.

“Eight Rusa officers surrounded the property, known to be a criminal hotspot, and blocked off escape routes. During surveillance, the female suspect was spotted carrying her three-year-old daughter,” Balram says.

She was arrested without incident, while her husband was discovered hiding under a pile of clothing on a bedroom floor. He resisted arrest but was eventually forcefully restrained.

The couple is now being detained at the Umhlali Police Station on charges of murder.

The couple are accused of hacking 34-year-old Dr William Mputhi to death with a sickle in front of his six-year-old daughter on Saturday evening. The attack happened in the driveway of his home, after an earlier dispute with the suspects, who were his tenants, over a R750 loan.

Witnesses reported seeing the husband flee with the bloodied weapon, alongside his wife and child. Mputhi was rushed to a Tongaat clinic, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Balram says Rusa immediately circulated information about the suspects on social media, prompting tip-offs from Johannesburg, Richards Bay, Pietermaritzburg and Shakaskraal.

“The swift response of the public and the co-ordinated effort of our officers ensured these suspects did not escape justice,” he says.

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