R3 Million worth of Furturelife was looted and a trailer set alight on Station Road in Canelands – KZN this morning (Tuesday).

Earlier this morning, a member of the Reaction Unit South Africa was on patrol as a normal routine, and he noticed the trailer on fire and drove to the scene. He went on and call for further assistance. Shortly after he called, the eThikwini Fire Department arrived on the scene and extinguished the blaze.

Further investigations were made to know what could have caused the fire and the Officer of the Reaction Unity confirmed that there was looting activity and the truck was loaded with Futurelife which was destined for a distribution center.

With investigations that were carried out, it came to light that the whole incident could have been caused due to the relationship between the driver and his employer. Residents were interviewed and one individual stated that the driver was seen consuming alcohol in the informal area.

The driver allegedly advised the residents that he was despondent towards his employer who is a sub-contractor for a logistics company. He then allegedly unhinged the trailer and drove off in the truck. Residents then looted the goods before setting the trailer alight.

A second individual stated that the driver accidentally turned into the wrong road where he was confronted by a group of males who threatened to shoot him if he did not unhitch the trailer. The man allegedly complied and drove off. Neither version could be verified.

While attending to the scene, information was received that the Volvo truck was on Ireland Street in the Verulam CBD. Reaction Officers converged on the area and recovered the truck abandoned outside a service station.

The driver could not be located and was unreachable on his cellphone.

Members of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) are currently 12:46 standing off on Jacaranda Avenue in Mountview – KZN where one person has been shot and three others are being held hostage in their home.

Reaction Officers were dispatched to the residence after receiving reports of a shooting. On arrival, Officers were informed that an 18-year-old male was shot in his left arm by his 65-year-old uncle. The teenager’s 68-year-old grandmother, a 38-year-old mother, and 12-year-old brother were in the house at the time of the incident.

Read Also: Durban prosecutor nabbed for allegedly freeing foreigners arrested for serious crimes

The suspect is armed with a pistol. He released the injured teenager after Officers negotiated his release. He is holding the rest of the family hostage.

The motive behind the incident has not been established.

This is a developing story

A Durban prosecutor has been arrested for allegedly freeing foreigners involved in serious crimes by fraudulently charging them with lesser charges then allow them to pay admission of guilt fines before letting them go.

The prosecutor was able to get the accused persons off the hook with lesser charges by misleading his superiors about the facts of the cases.

Prosecutor Ntokozo Mzulwini, 33, based at the Durban Magistrate’s Court, was arrested at his place of employment last week.

He appeared before magistrate Ashwin Singh on December 9 and the State was led by prosecutor Calvin Govender, who did not oppose bail.

Singh set bail at R3 000 with conditions.

The State alleged that Mzulwini would arrange for the foreigners in question to pay admission of guilt fines by misrepresenting to his supervisor that the respective charges related to contraventions of the Refugees Act.

In so doing, the supervisor would be induced into authorising and signing off on admission of guilt fines, yet Mzulwini knew that the charges were contraventions of the Immigration Act, which does not allow for admission of guilt fines.

It has been alleged that on two occasions Mzulwini’s conduct was in breach of Section 3 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act of 2004.

In those instances, Mzulwini, instead of pressing ahead with charges relating to housebreaking and being in possession of stolen goods, enabled the accused persons to get away with fines.

Read also: Accused in Umhlanga pier shooting granted bail

Mzulwini was also accused of withdrawing a drunk driving charge against an accused person when he was given instructions to proceed with the matter.

One of his superiors queried his handling of the said matters. It eventually led to his arrest and he has since been charged with fraud, defeating and obstructing justice and contravening the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act.

One of Mzulwini’s bail conditions was that he did not communicate with State witnesses. The matter was adjourned to next month.

A 32-year-old man was fatally injured in a shooting incident at the Canelands Informal Area in Canelands yesterday afternoon.

Members of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) arrived on the scene shortly after 19:00 and discovered a large crowd gathered around the body of a man who was bleeding excessively from his injuries. Medics examined the individual and confirmed that he showed no signs of life. He sustained five gunshot wounds.

According to a witness, the deceased rented out rooms in the area. He was seen speaking to a man when the two began arguing. The suspect then took out a firearm and shot the victim multiple times. The perpetrators then robbed him of his cash and fled on foot in an unknown direction.

The motive for the murder has not been confirmed at this stage.

Imagine you have laid your loved one to rest but you get a phone call from the police that their grave has been dug up and there are body parts missing. It’s now scary with these muti doers who are doing all these rituals just to get some perks in life.

Police in Mpumalanga has called on anyone with information to come forward after a grave was dug by suspects who were trying to exhume the body of a man who was buried a few weeks ago.

According to Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, the suspects were caught by residents at the Jerusalem graveyard in Masoyi, outside White River, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

“It is alleged that some members of the community were going to the grave in preparation for a funeral when they saw two people who then fled upon their arrival,” explained Brigadier Mohlala on Thursday.

READ ALSO: Man killed in Sherwood drive-by shooting

“Police at Masoyi were informed about the incident and upon arrival at the scene, they discovered that the suspects left a panga, a spade as well as a bag with some items which look like muti inside.

“Upon closer observation, the grave of a man who was buried on 23 November 2022 at the age of 19 was dug but the suspects failed to bring the body to the surface. His family was then summoned and they are in the process to determine whether his body parts are complete.”

A case of a violation of a corpse has been opened and is under investigation.

Police cannot rule out the possibility that the act could be related to practices of a certain cult, however, more details will unfold as the investigation progresses.

No one has been arrested so far.

The Provincial Commissioner of the Saps in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, condemned the incident and labeled the act as an indication of moral decay in the society.

Bones for muti

In July, a sangoma and two other men were arrested for digging up graves allegedly in search of bones for muti.

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According to the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD), TMPD regional members received a complaint from security guards who were working the night shift at a graveyard about people digging up graves.

“The officers responded swiftly and rushed to the graveyard. Upon arrival, they found three people inside the grave busy digging. When the three suspects were questioned, they could not account for what they were doing and where they got the permission to dig up the graves,” said the TMPD.

Among the three suspects was a sangoma.

“They were allegedly looking for dead people’s bones for muti purposes. The suspects tried to offer a bribe of R1 500.”

Sherwood- Paramedics rushed to the crime scene of a shootout on Thursday around 13:30. Unfortunately there was an unlucky soul who got gunned down in form of a drive-by shootout.

Emer-G-Med paramedics together with ALS paramedics responded to the scene.

Read also: Robbery suspect and his victim killed after being hit by a car in Umhlanga

At the time the Paramedics arrived the SAPS were not available to give a statement on what transpired. From the looks of the things the Spokesperson for Emer-G-Med paramedics said, “On arrival on the scene, a Mercedes Benz was found peppered with high caliber bullet holes. The driver and only occupant of the vehicle, a male believed to be approximately forty years of age was found to have sustained fatal injuries and was declared dead on arrival of paramedics.”

Van Reenen added that South African Police Services were on the scene investigating the matter. SAPS was not available for comment at the time this article was published.

Developing story