Arrest made in connection with the tragic murder of Pietermaritzburg family
A 43-year-old man is expected to appear in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, for the 2022 brutal murder of a Pietermaritzburg family.
The suspected killer was arrested on Monday following a collaboration by Hawks members from the Pietermaritzburg Serious Organised Crime Investigation, the Provincial Organised Crime Combat Team, the Provincial murder and robbery unit, and the Plessislaer Tracing Team.
KwaZulu-Natal Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Sibu Ncane said the combined effort led to the arrest of a suspect implicated in the brutal murder of four people in Imbali, Pietermaritzburg, in February 2022.
It is alleged that the Hlela family were killed in their sleep by a trio of assailants.
Reverend Bheki Hlela, 53, his wife Ntombifuthi Hlela, 42, and their children Siphokazi Hlela,15, and Siwinile Nzimande, 24, were murdered by unknown people. At the time of the incident, the KZN Department of Social Development said the family’s son, Mthandeni Basi, allegedly committed suicide after arriving home to a gruesome scene.
Ncane said police received information about the suspect’s location, which led to the mobilisation of a disruptive operation.
“The coordinated police teams quickly converged on the suspect’s residence in Imbali, executing a warrant of arrest and apprehending him. He was subsequently charged with four counts of murder. During the search, the police discovered a licensed firearm belonging to the suspect,” Ncane said.
“The seized firearm will be sent for a ballistic test to ascertain if it was used in the commission of any crime in the country.”
When the Hlela family was murdered, local councillor Mabhungu Mkhize had said a person was murdered daily, and that people were living in fear because they did not know who would be killed next.
He had said that since December 2021, they had had five similar incidents. Criminals attacked the Mchunu homestead, where they murdered two elderly women. Another murder at the Mahlaba and Mchunu homesteads followed this incident.
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za