Fugitive Wanted for Double Murder
Durban – A 40-year-old man accused of killing two women, including the mother of his children, has been caught by Durban police after hiding for more than two years. The suspect, who fled to Eswatini after the first murder, was nabbed at a lodge in the city and handed over to Mpumalanga authorities. This arrest brings some hope for justice in a case that highlights the ongoing problem of violence against women in South Africa.
The breakthrough came on Friday, 3 October 2025, ending a long search that crossed borders. Police say the man not only killed in South Africa but also struck again while on the run. With gender-based violence a big issue in the country – where stats show a woman is killed every three hours – this case has sparked calls for stronger action to protect victims and catch fugitives faster.
The Arrest: How Police Tracked Him Down
Durban Central police detectives acted on a tip-off to raid a lodge in the city, where they found the suspect hiding out. The operation was quick and smooth, with no resistance reported. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda praised the team for their sharp work.
“The suspect reportedly fled to Eswatini where he allegedly also killed another woman who he was in a romantic relationship with,” Netshiunda said in a statement. After the arrest, the man was swiftly moved to Mpumalanga, where he will face murder charges in court soon.
This was no easy catch. The man had dodged police since February 2023, slipping across the border into Eswatini, which shares a long frontier with South Africa. Volksrust, the site of the first killing, sits right near that border, making it simple for him to vanish. But Durban cops, known for handling big cases in the busy city, used smart tracking to pin him down.
Background on the Crimes: A Trail of Tragedy
The story starts in February 2023 in Volksrust, a small town in Mpumalanga. The suspect allegedly murdered the mother of his children there, leaving a family broken and a community shocked. Details on the victim are kept private to protect her loved ones, but police say it was a brutal act that forced him to run.
Instead of facing justice, he crossed into Eswatini – once called Swaziland – and started a new life. But trouble followed. While there, he got into a romantic relationship with another woman and allegedly killed her too. No exact date for this second murder is out yet, but it happened during his time on the run.
Eswatini, a small kingdom with close ties to South Africa, has its own share of crime issues. But cross-border cases like this show how hard it is to track killers who hop borders. South Africa and Eswatini do have deals to work together on crime, but it took over two years for this man to get caught. In that time, two women lost their lives, raising big questions about how to stop fugitives from hurting more people.
Gender-based violence is a huge problem in South Africa. According to the latest stats from the South African Police Service, more than 42,000 rape cases were reported last year, and femicide – the killing of women because of their gender – is one of the highest rates in the world. Groups like the Commission for Gender Equality say cases like this show why we need better support for victims and faster police action.
Police Response: A Win for Teamwork
Colonel Netshiunda shared more on how the pieces came together. “Police detectives from Durban Central Police station have arrested a 40-year-old suspect who has been on the run since February 2023 after he allegedly killed a woman who was the mother of his children at Volksrust in Mpumalanga province,” he said.
The handover to Mpumalanga police was smooth, and the suspect is now in custody there. This teamwork between provinces shows how South Africa’s police forces can join up to nab dangerous people. But it also points to the need for better tools, like more cameras and cross-border alerts, to catch them sooner.
Mpumalanga police are now building the case, with court dates expected soon. If found guilty, the man could face life in prison for each murder under South Africa’s tough laws on violent crimes.
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