Two Nigerian nationals arrested for kidnapping and murder of Mpumalanga man Gift Combrinck
Two Nigerian nationals, Thinedu Chukwu, 39, and Ikena Obi, 43, have been arrested and charged by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in connection with the kidnapping and subsequent murder of a 49-year-old man in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga.
The arrests follow a rapid investigation into the disappearance of the victim, Gift Combrinck.
Provincial police spokesperson, Sergeant Thulisile Magagula, provided details on the sequence of events:
“A missing person case was opened on 23 September 2025 after Gift Combrinck from Kellysville, Lydenburg, was reported missing.”
The search ended tragically soon after.
“Tragically, on 25 September 2025, the body of Mr Combrinck was discovered near De Clerq Street in Lydenburg. Preliminary investigations suggest that the victim was kidnapped, which led to the arrest of the two suspects,” said Magagula.
Both Chukwu and Obi have since been formally charged with kidnapping and murder.
The two accused men appeared before the Mashishing Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga.
The case was postponed to October 2, 2025. The purpose of the postponement is for the verification of the suspects’ travel documents and to allow the investigating team to conduct further investigation.
Meanwhile, the acting provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, has welcomed the arrests and expressed confidence in the police’s ongoing work.
“We trust that justice will prevail and that a thorough investigation will be conducted,” said Mkhwanazi.
Last year, IOL reported that the Mhala Regional Court in Mpumalanga convicted and sentenced 30-year-old Polosho Milimi on charges including kidnapping, murder, theft of a motor vehicle, and escape from lawful custody.
The conviction followed after a successful investigation conducted by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, based in Mbombela.
At the time, Mpumalanga spokesperson for the Hawks, Lieutenant Colonel Dineo Sekgotodi, said trouble started for Milimi in 2020 when he was found with the vehicle of a missing person.
“On January 28, 2020, a missing person case was reported at Calcutta police station. During investigation, information led the team to the residential place of Milimi. A search and seizure operation was authorised and executed. During the search, a vehicle belonging to the reported missing person, Given Sipho Shabangu, and 9mm ammunition were found and seized,” said Sekgotodi.
Milimi was then arrested in February 2020.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
IOL News