A councillor of the ANC in the Mandeni local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal is under pressure to step down after a local family accused him of dragging their family member with a bakkie.
Siyabonga Khumalo later died of his injuries.
The Makhoba family accuses councillor Siphesihle Ntuli of being behind the gruesome death of Makhoba, who went missing in November 2023 and was later found dead near a railway line in April 2024.
It is not clear what prompted Ntuli to allegedly drag Makhoba with the van until he sustained the injuries that led to his death.
Now, the family demands that the ANC suspend him from his position as a councillor and discipline him, citing his involvement in kidnapping, assault, and attempted murder charges.
Letter to the ANC
The pain of the family regarding the matter is contained in a letter dated August 13 sent to the General Gizenga Mpanza (Ilembe) regional task team (RTT).
“I write with deep distress on behalf of my family to raise a serious complaint regarding the conduct of the ANC councillor (Ntuli) for Ward 17 in the Mandeni municipality,” reads the letter.
“In November 2023, this councillor allegedly dragged our brother with a vehicle, leaving him with serious injuries.
“Shortly after, our brother vanished, prompting the Nyoni Police Station to open a missing person’s case. His decomposed remains were later discovered, identifiable only through a post-mortem and DNA analysis.
“The report confirmed he died from a head injury and that his body had been burnt prior to death. To this day, we have not buried our brother’s remains, and no one has been held accountable.
“The councillor continues to serve in office, despite the severity of these allegations,” reads the letter to the ANC signed off by Mthokozisi and Khobs Makhoba.
ANC urged to investigate
The family also asked the ANC to act against Ntuli.
“We request the ANC to launch an urgent, independent investigation into the councillor’s involvement; suspend the councillor pending the outcome of the investigation; provide clarity on any internal action taken to date; and reaffirm the ANC’s commitment to justice, ethical leadership, and accountability.
“We are available to provide further information or cooperate with any investigation. We urge your office to act swiftly to prevent further injustice and restore public confidence,” the family demanded.
The spokesperson of the ANC in the region that encompasses Mandeni, Lucky Makhathini, said the party is dealing with the matter.
“I can confirm that we’ve received the letter from the Makhoba family, and yes, we have spoken to the Cllr [councillor] in question,” said Makhathini.
“There is a team that is dealing with the matter, and in our midweek statement we did say we will give a full report once the engagements between the team, the Makhoba family, and Cllr Ntuli have been concluded and sent to the RTT.”
Pauper’s burial
KwaZulu-Natal police confirmed that they found Makhoba dead and buried him as a pauper.
“Nyoni police have been investigating an inquest following the discovery of human remains in the Khenana railway area on 14 April 2024,” the police said.
“The remains were sent for DNA analysis. The DNA results recently came back as being those of Siyabonga Makhoba.
“When the police took the family to the mortuary to collect the remains, they were then informed that the remains of Siyabonga Makhoba were already buried through the processes of a pauper’s burial.
“Further enquiries regarding the burial can be directed to the provincial health department.”
