DA councillor hit: Traditional healer and prison mastermind arrested

Nhlalayenza Ndlovu

KwaZulu-Natal – Two additional suspects have been arrested in connection with the 2023 assassination of Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Nhlalayenza Ndlovu, the South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed on Wednesday.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the arrests were made by the Political Killings Task Team, which has been investigating the high-profile case since Ndlovu’s murder in December 2023. The councillor was gunned down at his home in the Mpophomeni area in Howick.

The suspects include a 56-year-old traditional leader (Inkosi) and a 26-year-old man who allegedly orchestrated the killing while serving time in Pietermaritzburg Prison.

“The pair will appear before the Howick Magistrates Court on Thursday, 31 July 2025,” said Mathe. “They will join the two suspects who were previously arrested and charged for the murder.”

All four accused face charges of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

At the time of his death, Ndlovu was serving as a councillor in the Umgeni Local Municipality.

Police say investigations into political killings remain a top priority, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, where political violence has claimed numerous lives in recent years

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