Former KZN mayor Mletheni Ndlovu and bodyguard survive shooting
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Former Msinga mayor Mletheni Ndlovu survived a brazen shooting when he and his bodyguard were ambushed and their car sprayed with bullets in KwaZulu-Natal.
KZN spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda told TimesLIVE Ndlovu and his bodyguard were attacked and the car shot at on Friday night. They were travelling in the Mkhuphula area in northern KZN.
“Reports indicate that the two were travelling in their vehicle when they saw three men standing on the road.
“When the driver tried to swerve, the suspects allegedly started firing towards the vehicle. The two victims managed to escape into the nearby forest. Their vehicle was then set on fire, allegedly by the suspects,” Netshiunda said.
Netshiunda said no-one was injured.
“Police in Msinga are investigating two counts of attempted murder and one for malicious damage to property. The motive behind the shooting is unknown at this stage.”
Netshiunda said a search for the suspects was under way and no arrests have been made yet.
The former mayor has previously been in the spotlight after he and his two bodyguards were arrested on firearms-related charges last October.
“Ndlovu is charged with failure to lock away a firearm in a prescribed safe, as well as handing over a firearm to a person not permitted to be in possession of it,” National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said.
In November, Ndlovu was released from duties by the IFP after the arrest.
Previously, IFP councillor Lungani Ntuli accused Ndlovu of murdering IFP councillor Siyanda Magubane. Ntuli was with Magubane when he was killed last September.
Ntuli made these accusations at the funeral service of Magubane and the video of this went viral on social media.
In October, IFP national spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said an internal investigation found no evidence that Ndlovu was at the murder scene as per accusations.
“The national council task team (NCTT) has found no evidence of [Ndlovu] being present at the scene of the fatal ambush, as he was at a municipal function at the time,” he said.
“Notwithstanding the seriousness of the matter, the NCTT has recommended the party should wait for the police investigation before it considers whether or not to take any actions against the mayor.”