Homicide detectives in Mpumalanga are in pursuit of suspects involved in the cold-blooded deaths of two princes, both killed in the same week.
Mpumalanga detectives probe prince murders
While it isn’t outside the realm of possibility, it is highly unlikely that the murders are related.
For one, the killings occurred 320km apart. The other thing is, Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi confirmed that the deaths are being treated as separate incidents.
The manner in which Prince Zwelithini Dlamini and Andries Mbangelwa Mahlangu were killed is strikingly similar, though. Both royals were caught off-guard by their murderers.
The Prince Dlamini murder case
Prince Dlamini was shot and killed in his Matsulu residence on the evening of 4 January.
“The victim was eating food with his two friends when this callous incident happened,” Brig. Hlathi revealed.
From the testimony of the two eyewitnesses who were with the prince, it’s believed the suspect entered the house and without a word escaping his mouth, unleashed a hail of bullets in Dlamini’s direction.
Prince Mahlangu killed in his home
Similarly, Prince Mahlangu was sitting his vehicle at approximately 08:15, on 9 January, when two men entered his property in Siyabuswa, and killed him.
“His son told police that he heard gunshots at around 08:15 and went out to investigate. He then saw two men running out of the yard where his father had parked his vehicle,” Hlathi noted in a statement.
An attempt was made to rush Mahlangu to a nearby hospital but by the time emergency rescue services had arrived at the crime scene, it was too late.
Mpumalanga authorities brace this new week with little to no leads on the royal murders. In the Dlamini case, two surviving eyewitnesses are crucial in helping homicide investigators piece together the events that transpired in Matsulu on that fateful evening.
In Siyabuswa, the son of Prince Mahlangu will play a central part in establishing a timeline in his father’s death.
