A tragic incident has unfolded in KwaZulu-Natal, leaving the whole province reeling in shock and grief.
A police sergeant, who served as a bodyguard for King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, has been implicated in a hit-and-run accident that claimed the life of a young woman, Phumla Mtshali (26). The sergeant, who fled the scene, was later found dead in a hotel room in Umhlanga, north of Durban, after taking his own life.
The incident occurred on Friday, 16 August, on Phoenix Highway in Phoenix. A black Toyota Fortuner, belonging to the South African Police Service (SAPS), ran over Phumla, leaving her dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle, the police sergeant, fled the scene.
Philie kaMaNgidi Mtshali, Phumla's sister, expressed her outrage and grief, stating that the driver abandoned her sister to die like a dog.
"He ran away to report the vehicle as stolen and left my sister to die like a dog. He even sent someone later to remove the number plate. They didn’t know that a local security company had already taken pictures of the number," she said.
"We won’t rest until justice is served. We won’t let the suspect get away with the murder of our sister," kaMaNgidi Mtshali said.
The Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesman, Prem Balram, confirmed that a registration plate belonging to the car was recovered at the scene, but it was removed by an unknown person shortly after.
He said that Rusa officers later located the accident-damaged vehicle, a black Toyota Fortuner, on a farmer's property. The vehicle was fitted with blue emergency lights and was missing its registration plates.
Rusa officers conducted a vehicle ownership check and confirmed that the vehicle belonged to the SAPS. It was reported stolen at the Phoenix SAPS on Friday, but it was later established that it was the same vehicle involved in the hit-and-run accident.
Prince Simphiwe Zulu, spokesman for King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, confirmed that the 48-year-old police sergeant who committed suicide was a bodyguard of the King. He declined to comment further on the matter, stating that it was under investigation.
KZN police spokesman Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that police in Phoenix have opened a culpable homicide case following the incident. He said that a case of vehicle theft is also under investigation.
Netshiunda stated that the sergeant, who was the last person to be in possession of the state vehicle, reported the vehicle stolen at the Phoenix police station. The vehicle was later found abandoned in a sugarcane field.
On Monday, 19 August, police received reports that the 48-year-old sergeant who was implicated in the hit-and-run incident had taken his own life.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and police are working to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the hit-and-run accident and the subsequent suicide.
"Circumstances surrounding the apparent suicide incident form part of police investigations," said Netshiunda.
