After being on the run for two months, the man who allegedly killed a man at Durban’s King Edward VIII Hospital, has been caught.
|||Durban - After being on the run for about three months, the man who allegedly shot dead a human resources officer at Durban’s King Edward VIII Hospital, was finally caught in Johannesburg on Tuesday night.
Khulekani Ntuli was arrested at a flat in Hillbrow by the provincial tracking team and Umbilo detectives.
Ntuli has been on the run since February 28, when senior human resources officer Sipho Mfayela, 54, was shot dead at the hospital.
Police had issued a warrant for Ntuli’s arrest and in April had offered a R15 000 reward for information that would lead to his arrest.
KZN police spokesman, Captain Thulani Zwane, said Ntuli was arrested after a police stakeout.
Ntuli was expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court today on charges of murder, intimidation and pointing of a firearm. Bail was expected to be opposed.
A police source said they had received information about a week ago that Ntuli had been hiding out at a relative’s flat in Hillbrow.
The source said he was taken by surprise when police stormed the flat.
“He was shocked... almost speechless. He never thought he would get caught.”
The source said Ntuli appeared to be in good health and had been watching television when he was nabbed.
It is unclear if his relatives will be charged for harbouring a wanted suspected.
Police are also looking at charging Ntuli with defeating the ends of justice.
The source said police were close to locating the gun used in the shooting
It is believed that the shooting was sparked by Ntuli’s dismissal from the hospital.
Zwane said Ntuli confronted Mfayela in his office after he had been told the results of his misconduct disciplinary appeal
Mfayela was shot twice in the chest. He died at the scene.
At the time witnesses told police they had seen the suspect driving off in his Toyota Corolla.
A case of murder was opened at the Umbilo police station.
“Hallelujah! This is such good news,” said a colleague of Mfayela, who did not want to be named.
“We really appreciate the work of the police,” she said. Commenting on how the hospital staff were coping since the tragedy, she said everyone was still recovering from the stress and trauma of the incident.
Hospital spokeswoman, Nontobeko Ndlela, said management and staff were relieved to hear of Ntuli’s arrest.
Mfayela was shot in his office in the human resources department in front of his colleagues.
Doctors and nurses had tried to revive him before he was taken into theatre. The bullet had pierced both chambers of the heart, and blood vessels to the heart.
“We’re still stressed because we miss him so much. He was such a wonderful man,” she said.
Daily News