The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Organised Crime: Murder and Robbery Unit detectives have made a major breakthrough on Thursday, 16 October 2025 when they arrested a security company owner, 52-year-old Bruce Mhlongo for the murder of a primary school teacher who was shot and killed on 18 February 2022.
On that fateful afternoon, Thabani Innocent Zondi, who was 48-year-old at the time, and an educator at Khethindlelenhle Primary School was shot and killed inside his vehicle at KwaPata area. When police arrived at the scene, the deceased was found sitting on the driver’s seat of his vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds and at least 21 cartridges were found at the scene. The case was later referred to the Provincial Murder and Robbery Unit which successfully acquired the warrant of arrest for the security company owner which was executed on Thursday.
The suspect is also likely to be linked to other cases of murder, attempted murder and armed robbery which were committed in the areas of Plessislaer and Richmond from 2022. His company firearms were seized and will be subjected to ballistic analysis. Mhlongo appeared briefly in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 17 October 2025 and was remanded in custody. He will be in the dock again on 30 October 2025 where he will make a formal bid for bail.
Source: SAPS