A popular traditional healer from KwaMashu in KwaZulu-Natal has been arrested for allegedly masterminding the 2020 murders of an African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) member and two eThekwini Metro Police officers.
The arrest, made on Friday, July 24, 2026, follows a lengthy investigation by the KZN Political Killings Task Team into the killings of ANCYL member Thamsanqa Kingdom Gcabashe and Metro Police officers Lindokuhle Madonsela and Ndumiso Thusi.
According to KZN police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda, the suspect is believed to have orchestrated the murders after allegedly becoming convinced that officer Madonsela was involved in an intimate relationship with his wife.
Netshiunda said investigators revealed that Madonsela was the intended target from the outset, but the plan went horribly wrong when hitmen mistakenly killed Gcabashe outside his home in Section G, Mpumalanga Township, in May 2020.
Following the tragic killing of Gcabashe, the suspects regrouped and tracked down their intended target. Fourteen days later, in June 2020, the gunmen tracked down their intended target while reporting for duty.
“Officer Thusi had arrived to collect Madonsela when gunmen opened fire on their vehicle, killing both officers at the scene,” said Netshiunda.
The Political Killings Task Team said its investigation established links between the two murder scenes through ballistic evidence, which investigators described as crucial forensic proof connecting the killings.
The team has since identified, linked, arrested and charged five individuals in connection with the murders. They are Fana Shabalala, Zamokuhle Nyandu, Mthokozisi Ntando Blose, Holy Shozi and Sandile Msezane.
The accused face charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The alleged mastermind is expected to make his first appearance in the Hammarsdale Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 27 July 2026.
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