Celani Sikhakhane brings you KwaZulu-Natal’s latest news.
Nottingham Road: The bodies of two pilots who died when two light aircraft crashed in Nottingham Road and north of Boston have been found. According to the Accidents and Incidents Investigations Division of the SA Civil Aviation Authority, both aircraft had departed in loose formation from Secunda Airport en route to Margate Regional Airport. KZN Transport Minister Siboniso Duma announced on Thursday afternoon that the process of repatriating the remains of one pilot who was from India has begun. The two bodies were found on Thursday afternoon after the search and rescue along with SAPS and other emergency units resumed the search at 6am early in the morning. KZN has experienced several crashes of light aircraft that have led to the death of about seven pilots this year alone.
Durban: KwaZulu-Natal Traditional Affairs Minister Rev. Thulasizwe Buthelezi has called for urgent reforms and strengthened collaboration to enhance stability, accountability and service delivery in municipalities across the province and the country. Speaking at the Local Government Conference hosted by the Development Democracy Programme at the Elangeni Hotel in Durban, Minister Buthelezi noted that while progress has been recorded in KwaZulu-Natal, many municipalities nationally continue to experience significant challenges. “According to the Auditor-General’s 2023/24 report, only 16% of municipalities received clean audits. Weak governance, poor accountability and financial instability remain key concerns,” he said.
Mtubatuba: The Mtubatuba Regional Court has sentenced Sibusiso Nyawo, 45, to 30 years in prison for the murder of his partner in August 2024 in the Nkodibe area. Nyawo and the deceased, Silindile Msane, 48, were in a relationship with each other. In the early morning of 13 August 2024, Nyawo contacted his landlord and one of Msane’s friends, stating that Msane was not breathing or moving. He told them that she had complained about body pains and feeling unwell at some stage prior. The landlord and friend went to the scene and saw that Msane was not breathing. They also noticed that there wasn’t any blood on or around her body. The matter was reported to the police and an inquest docket was opened as it was believed that Msane had died from an illness. A few days later, during the postmortem, the district surgeon discovered that Msane had sustained a dislocated neck and bruises on her neck and shoulder. The doctor concluded that her death was unnatural, with the cause of death being blunt force trauma to the head and a dislocated neck. When Nyawo was questioned by the police, he mentioned in his warning statement that he had fought with Msane the night before her death and he had banged her head against the wall. However, he said that she was conscious when they went to sleep, even though she did complain about feeling unwell. In sentencing Nyawo, the court deviated from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment and sentenced him to 30 years in prison. The court’s reasons for the deviation were that evidence showed that Nyawo had attempted to resuscitate Msane and he had also gone to the landlord and Msane’s friend for assistance.
Pictured above: Emergency services at the scene of the airplane crash.
Image source: Supplied by Department of Transport
