SAPS arrests Sydenham mass murder suspect in Melmoth after five-year hunt
The 2021 killings of nine people in Sydenham led detectives to Obuka, where the wanted man was cornered on Wednesday night.
KwaZulu-Natal Murder and Robbery Unit detectives have arrested a suspect wanted for the killing of nine people in Sydenham in October 2021, the South African Police Service said in a statement.
The suspect was arrested at Obuka area in Melmoth on Wednesday night, 23 September 2026, where police said he had been in hiding. He will appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 25 September 2026 on multiple counts of murder.
The killings happened on 16 October 2021. Six people were shot and killed at a house at Palmiet Road Informal Settlement in Sydenham. A short distance from the scene, three more people were shot and killed in two separate incidents on the same day, allegedly by the same suspects.
The matter was referred to the Murder and Robbery Unit. Two suspects were identified and police pursued them. One was traced and found in Empangeni, where he resisted arrest and was shot and fatally wounded in a shootout with police. The second suspect was elusive, and police said relentless efforts led them to Obuka area in Melmoth, where he was cornered and arrested.
The same unit has been entrusted with investigating the killing of eleven people who were shot and killed at Ziko area in KwaMakhutha on Tuesday night. Detectives are following several leads and police said it is a matter of time before the suspects are arrested.
Anyone with information that can fast-track the investigation is urged to tip off the police anonymously via the Crime Stop number 08600 10111 or to contact the nearest police station.
This report is based on a South African Police Service media statement. It is a summary of the police’s account rather than the full case record. Enquiries: Colonel Robert Netshiunda, 082 569 7629.
Source: South African Police Service (SAPS), Sydenham mass murder suspect arrested in Melmoth
