Police in KwaZulu-Natal arrested a 63-year-old suspect at Ekombe for multiple offences, including extortion, theft, possession of property suspected to be stolen, and using a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
In December 2025, a case of theft was reported by a complainant at Nkandla Police Station, and in January 2026, the same complainant opened a case of using property without the owner’s consent at Newark Police Station. The cases were linked to the theft of heavy-duty construction machines from a construction site in Nkandla. It was later discovered that the same machines were being used in Newark.
Police officers who are members of the Provincial Reaction Unit as well as the Empangeni Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit (VCIU) received information regarding the location where the machines were being stored and utilised. On Tuesday, 17 February 2026, an operation was conducted at a Zululand quarry in Newark, where two excavators and one TLB machine were recovered. The recovered property is estimated to be valued at R50 million. The suspect was not on the construction site during the recovery and remained on the run.
On Saturday, 21 March 2026, the complainant opened additional cases at Ekombe Police Station, including extortion, theft of a motor vehicle, and using property without the owner’s consent. The new cases relate to the theft of a truck from a construction site, as well as alleged demands of money from the complainant. The suspect in this matter is the same as the one involved in the Nkandla and Newark cases.
Following swift investigations and tracing operations, the 63-year-old suspect was arrested at Ekombe by members of Empangeni Public Order Police. During the arrest, a truck was also recovered.
The suspect was charged with theft, extortion, using property without the owner’s consent, and possession of property suspected to be stolen. He is expected to appear at the Nkandla Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 24 March 2026.
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