KWAZULU-NATAL: A 38-year-old man is in custody for two counts of murder and rape. He will appear in the Vryheid Magistrates’ Court soon.
On 30 June 2020, the body of Zilandile Xulu (34) was found on a cliff after she disappeared on 27 June 2020. Her disappearance was not reported to the police. The deceased was allegedly strangled to death, stabbed and raped. A case was opened at Hlobane police station for investigation.
The police investigation revealed that the deceased was killed in her bedroom, dragged out and thrown down the cliff. She was seven months pregnant. When her body was discovered, she had a visibly broken neck and stab wounds to the stomach. The persistence by Hlobane detectives to solve the case led to the arrest of the suspect on Friday night, 3 July 2020 after an exhaustive operation with the Vryheid K9 Unit. The suspect had fled his home and hid in a dense mountainous forest, in an attempt to evade arrest.
The Provincial Commissioner in KwaZulu-Natal, Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula welcomed the arrest and commended the team that worked around the clock ensure that the case was solved.
