Murder-accused shot and killed in KZN drive-by shooting

According to Reaction Unit South Africa, Mlungisi Thabethe was shot multiple times before his car came to a stop.

Mlungisi Thabethe was traveling in his vehicle from Gandhis Hill towards Hambanathi when the occupants of a white Toyota Quest opened fire on his silver VW Polo with high calibre weapons. Picture: Supplied.

One of the seven men accused of the murder of Andile “Bobo” Mbuthu was shot and killed on Thursday morning in a drive-by shooting in Tongaat, northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Twenty-eight-year-old Mlungisi Thabethe was traveling in his vehicle from Gandhi’s Hill towards Hambanathi when the occupants of a white Toyota Quest opened fire on his silver VW Polo with high calibre weapons.

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According to Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), Thabethe was shot multiple times before his car came to a stop.

“Members of RUSA responded to the scene at 9.19am after receiving multiple calls from the public. On arrival, the driver was found slumped over the passenger seat. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene,” RUSA said in a statement.

The crime scene of the drive-by shooting in Tongaat, northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The security company said police who were on patrol in Ndwedwe in KZN spotted the suspects’ vehicle after the shooting. A policeman was injured when the occupants of the white Toyota Quest opened fire on them.

“He was rapidly transported to hospital by his colleagues. The RUSA Robinson R44 helicopter was expedited to the scene and is conducting an aerial search for the suspects.”

Thabethe was on trial for the murder of 16-year-old Mbuthu who was beaten to death at a tavern in Hambanathi in April 2020. He is also believed to be linked to the taxi industry.

The motive for his murder has not been established at this stage.

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