SAPS seeks public help to find Chesterville man accused of attempted murder of nephew
Police in KwaZulu-Natal are searching for a 29-year-old man, who is accused of attempting to kill his young nephew in Chesterville early last year, has absconded after being released on bail.
According to a statement issued by the Office of the Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in KwaZulu-Natal, police are seeking community assistance in locating Sduduzo Mavundla, who is wanted for the attempted murder of his nine-year-old nephew. The incident occurred on 4 January 2024 at the Phola area in Chesterville.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the child had gone to visit his grandfather when Mavundla allegedly “lured him into the bushes under the pretence that he was going to buy him snacks”.
Once in the bushes, Mavundla reportedly confronted the child, telling him “that he would show his father what he was made of because the victim’s father was disrespecting his (Sduduzo’s) father.”
It is alleged that Mavundla then strangled the child and stabbed him several times on the face, leaving him unconscious. “After a while, the boy somehow woke up and crawled to the road where he was assisted by passersby who took him to a hospital,” Netshiunda said.
While the severely injured boy was receiving medical help, Mavundla is suspected of having convinced his mother to report the child missing at the Cato Manor police station.
Following police investigations, Mavundla was arrested. However, the statement says he was “somehow released on bail” and has since failed to appear before court. A warrant of arrest was issued in September 2024, and since then he has remained at large.
Police have called on members of the public to assist in tracing him. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the investigating officer, Captain Ndlovu, on 082 411 5609 or report anonymously to the Crime Stop line on 08600 10111.
Netshiunda confirmed that police are continuing their efforts to search for Mavundla, who has now been sought for more than a year.
The SAPS has appealed for co-operation and assistance from anyone who may have seen or spoken to him to help ensure that the matter proceeds through the justice system.