Celani Sikhakhane brings you KwaZulu-Natal’s latest news.
eMpangeni: The late Prime Minister to King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has been honoured with a state-of-the-art shopping mall which is expected to create hundreds of jobs for the youth of the northern KZN regions. The mall is named after Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who was the longest-serving Prime Minister under three Zulu Kings. The idea to name it after Buthelezi came after the developers requested the Zulu Royal family to give them the name of any senior royal to name the shopping mall. That is where the name of Buthelezi was suggested and then accepted by the developers.
Ezakheni: The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the sentence of double life imprisonment plus an additional 35 years in prison imposed on Sphamandla Lucky Ndimande, 28, by the Ezakheni Regional Court. This follows his conviction on two counts of rape, two counts of kidnapping, attempted murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances. The offences occurred on 20 April 2024 in the Ezakheni area. The three complainants, an adult male and two adult females, were walking together after the women had visited the male complainant. Along the way, they encountered Ndimande and another male. The male complainant recognised Ndimande as someone from the area, while the two female complainants did not know him. The court ordered the sentences to run at the same time, resulting in an effective sentence of life imprisonment. Ndimande was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Madadeni: The KwaZulu-Natal Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences detectives, working with Madadeni police officers, have arrested a medical doctor at his workplace in Madadeni on Tuesday. The 69-year-old doctor allegedly sexually assaulted four of his female patients at a hospital in Madadeni between August 2025 and April 2026. The suspect would allegedly touch the victims inappropriately on their breasts and private parts, and he also allegedly forced some of them to perform sexual acts on him. The victims complained to a whistleblower who anonymously alerted the police. The detectives acted on the tip-offs and after the victims opened cases, investigations unfolded, leading to the arrest of the suspect.
Pictured above: The state-of-the-art shopping mall in eMpangeni, north of KZN, named after Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has been officially opened by the provincial government.
Image source: Supplied
