Five arrests for pastor’s murder
The suspects are linked to the crimes of murder, hijacking, robbery and possession of suspected stolen property
A breakthrough in a case involving the murder of a congregation priest saw Hattingspruit police arresting five suspects on Tuesday. The suspects are linked to the crimes of murder, hijacking, robbery and possession of suspected stolen property.
Police worked tirelessly around the clock from Thursday, March 19, when they found a vehicle belonging to a Salvation Army congregation priest in the area. A suspicious-looking Toyota Verso was seen parked along the road in the Nyanyadu area, locked with no occupants inside. The vehicle was towed to Hattingspruit police station for further investigation, as it had not been reported stolen but was from the Ezakheni area.
Ezakheni police were contacted to assist in tracing the owner of the vehicle in their area. Through further investigation, police were able to trace the family, who knew the owner of the vehicle. According to them, the owner was a priest at the Salvation Army congregational church in Ezakheni. The priest was last seen on March 17 on his way to Nquthu to sell perfumes. He never returned home. A missing persons docket was opened at Ezakheni police station after his vehicle was found.
Hattingspruit police then received information concerning a person who had been robbed of cash by criminals using the same vehicle. The robbery victim said there were six occupants in the Toyota, including the owner. He and the owner of the vehicle were taken to Dundee, where they were forced to withdraw cash at an ATM. He was later dropped off and the robbers drove away, taking the owner of the vehicle with them.
On Monday, March 23, police made another breakthrough when they arrested the first suspect in the Nyanyadu area. This suspect took them to the Glencoe area, where three more arrests were made. Goods such as shoes taken from the victim were recovered. Officers also found perfumes suspected to be those belonging to the priest.
The decomposed body of 39-year-old Pastor Hamilton Bafana Zulu was found in the Glencoe area on Tuesday. The deceased had been stabbed.
The last suspect was later arrested, also linked to the murder and hijacking.
The arrested suspects, aged between 17 and 24, will appear in the Glencoe Magistrate’s Court soon.
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, has praised the officers involved for the swift arrest of the suspects. “Our members are committed and dedicated in making sure that criminals do not get away with their criminal activities. I would also like to thank members of the community for working together with the police to make sure criminals face the law for their wrongdoings,” she said.
