According to the provincial police spokesperson, Motantsi Makhele, the trio - 30-year-old Xolani Hlongwane, 33-year-old Sakhile Hlongwane, and 27-year-old Khulekani Dlamini - was arrested after the murder of Samkelo Vilakazi. His body was found with a bullet wound on the R714 road outside Harrismith on 22 February 2021.

Makhele further adds that Vilakazi body was found on 22 February 2021 at about 22:00 by a passerby who noticed the body of a male person lying in the road with only a t-shirt and short trousers. He was found with a gunshot wound and the preliminary investigation discovered that the deceased's vehicle, a white Nissan Tiida, had been hijacked. “It is alleged that the trio might be linked to other crimes in the Harrismith area,” says Makhele.

“The three suspects from Bergville in KwaZulu-Natal already appeared in the Bergville Magistrate’s Court on Monday 1 March 2021 for the possession of an illegal firearm and the possession of suspected stolen property, after they were arrested last week for being in possession of a firearm and the deceased’s vehicle. They were then transferred to Harrismith where they'll appear on the alleged murder charge,” says Makhele.

OFM News/Blaine Jones