A coordinated operation by Giyani detectives and their colleagues of Lulekani, and the Mopani Tracking Team has resulted in the arrest of two suspects — an alleged hitman and the stepdaughter of a slain Giyani businessman — in connection with his brutal murder.
According to Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, the arrests were made on Saturday following intensive investigations.
The businessman from Makhuva village outside Giyani was gunned down on Tuesday, 19 November 2024, at around 5pm. He was shot multiple times on the Mbawula main road by a man and a woman who posed as customers looking to buy building sand.
“Investigations revealed that the victim’s stepdaughter had allegedly hired a hitman to kill her stepfather, paying an agreed fee for the planned murder,” said Ledwaba.
On the trail of the step-daughter
During a sting operation in the early hours of Saturday, 23 November, the tracking teams followed leads to Polokwane, where the stepdaughter was arrested for allegedly orchestrating the killing.
The suspected hitman was already in custody on unrelated charges, including rape, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and a separate murder case in Lulekani. He was positively linked to the businessman’s murder during the investigation.
Both suspects are expected to appear in the Giyani Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, facing charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Manhunt after fatal tavern stabbing
Meanwhile, police in Seshego have launched a manhunt for three men following the fatal stabbing of a 35-year-old man at a tavern in Bloodriver in the early hours of Sunday, 23 November 2025.
“Police were summoned to Seshego Hospital after receiving a complaint of murder. Upon arrival, medical personnel pointed out the deceased, who had been identified as a 35-year-old male,” said Ledwaba.
Relatives reportedly rushed the victim to the hospital at around 4am, telling police that he had been stabbed with a sharp object during an altercation at the tavern. He was declared dead on arrival.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the man sustained multiple stab wounds to the upper body and back. The motive for the attack remains unknown, and police are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.
