Murderous couple on the loose: dad slain, daughter witnesses horror

Durban – Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) is appealing to the public for assistance in locating a couple wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of a single father in front of his six-year-old daughter on Saturday evening.

The victim, 33-year-old Doctor William Mputhi, originally from QwaQwa in the Northeastern Free State, had been living with his daughter in Shakashead following the death of his wife in 2020.

Mputhi operated a construction business, Mr Cladding, servicing areas including Ballito, Morningside, Umhlanga, and La Lucia in KwaZulu-Natal.

According to the victim’s mother-in-law, who contacted RUSA with details based on eyewitness accounts, Mputhi had earlier been confronted by a loan shark after a tenant borrowed R750 and failed to repay the loan. Mputhi, acting as guarantor for his tenants, had attempted to resolve the matter.

After being assaulted by the loan shark in the presence of his daughter, Mputhi returned home and confronted the female tenant, identified as 34-year-old Nicolene Pillay, over the outstanding debt.

Witnesses say Pillay threatened Mputhi, stating he would be killed when her husband returned, before locking herself in a room until the evening.

When her husband, 34-year-old Mevendran Reddy, arrived, the couple allegedly confronted Mputhi on the driveway of his home. Both attacked him with a sickle, inflicting multiple stab and slash wounds to his stomach, chest, and rib cage. Witnesses reported hearing Reddy shout that “nobody would touch his wife and live” as the attack unfolded. Mputhi was declared dead on arrival at a medical facility in Tongaat.

Minutes after the attack, Pillay and Reddy, along with their three-year-old child, fled the scene by hopping over a fence.

Authorities believe the couple moved to Shakashead four months ago, with Pillay originally from Richards Bay and Reddy employed at a breakdown and towing company in Shakaskraal. Their social media accounts have since been deactivated.

RUSA has released a photo of the couple, retrieved from a loan application, and urges anyone with information on their whereabouts to contact their headquarters immediately.