KZN fugitive who left 9-year-old nephew for dead captured in North West

THE attempted murder accused fugitive who has been on the run for more than a year was nabbed last night by the Hebron police in the North West province.

Siduduzo Nkosikhona Mavundla, 29, was arrested after a joint operation by the police in Hebron, KwaZulu-Natal police, Brits Crime Intelligence and the Brits Trio Task Team, who tracked the accused's movement, which led them to Itereleng in Hebron.

Mavundla was watching a game of football on TV at a local tavern. The KwaZulu-Natal police are coordinating efforts to bring him back to Durban to appear before court. Mavundla, who is from Chesterville in Durban, is accused of stabbing and strangling his older brother's 9-year-old son, Mpendulo Msweli, on January 3, 2024, before leaving him for dead.

The boy miraculously survived after managing to crawl to a nearby road where a kind Samaritan rescued him.

According to the family, Mpendulo had been visiting his paternal grandfather in Chesterville during the December holidays when Mavundla lured him away.

"His uncle told him they were going to the shop to buy chips. On the way he led him into a bush, assaulted him, stabbed him several times with an unknown object, strangled him and left him unconscious, believing he was dead," said his grandmother, Veronica Msweli.

The boy regained consciousness after dark and dragged himself to the road, where a good Samaritan rushed him to Victoria Mxenge Hospital (formerly King Edward VIII Hospital) before he was transferred to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital.

He remained hospitalised for three months.

"When he told us what happened, he said his uncle kept saying Mpendulo’s father does not respect him and he wanted to 'teach him a lesson' while he was attacking him," said Msweli.

The family later learnt of a dispute between Mavundla and the child’s father involving unpaid money, though they are unsure whether that was the motive.

Msweli said the family's faith in the justice system was severely shaken by how the case was handled.

They were shocked to learn that the suspect had been released on bail in January 2024, information they only received three months later.

"When we asked the prosecutor, the explanation didn't make sense to us. Later, when we asked again about the progress of the case, they told us there was no need for us to keep coming to court," she said.

Msweli said they were instructed to appear in court on a date in September last year, only to be told on arrival that they had the wrong day.

"We found out later that that was actually his court date, but he didn't show up. That's when we learnt he had never returned to court and had skipped bail."

Before Tuesday night's capture, the family believed the suspect might be hiding in Johannesburg, where his mother is originally from. 

SUNDAY TRIBUNE