THE FUSE

Celani Sikhakhane brings you KwaZulu-Natal’s latest news.

Nongoma: NFP councillors have resigned from Nongoma Local Municipality with immediate effect in protest against the leadership of their President Ivan Barnes. This comes after they were accused of turning against the party president in support of the KZN NFP Chairperson Mbali Shinga, who is also a Minister for Social Development in the province. Mshangane Ndabandaba resigned on Thursday along with another NFP councillor Kaizer Dladla. Their resignation comes after the exodus of other three councillors of the NFP in Nongoma who resigned a month ago. The resignation of the other three ward councillors has led to the by-election in Nongoma that was declared recently by the IEC. Sources claim that all the five councillors including the former Nongoma mayor are protesting against Barnes, whom they supported during the elective congress a year ago that was held in Durban.

Verulam: A headless body was discovered approximately 50 metres from the Sri Emperumal Temple in Riet River on Thursday. Members of Reaction Unit South Africa responded to the scene after a caller informed the Operations Centre of a decapitated body located in dense vegetation. Upon arrival, Reaction Officers were led into the bush where the remains of a male were found lying on the ground. A skull was located a few metres away from the body. The remains were in an advanced stage of decomposition, with the skull completely stripped of flesh. A member of the public informed officers that residents had been informed approximately two months ago (December 2025) that a body had been seen in the bush. Rusa said that the information was ignored and not reported to law enforcement by the community because the individual who made the discovery at the time was a known drug user. The identity of the deceased is unknown and circumstances surrounding their death have not been confirmed.

Mandeni: The African National Congress in the General Gizenga Mpanza Region is deeply saddened and outraged by the brutal killing of an elderly woman in the Macambini area, Mandeni. Seventy-five-year-old Gogo Busisiwe Nokuthula Mamkhwanazi Ngema was hacked to death by unidentified attackers wielding pangas while she slept at home on Sunday evening. Preliminary investigations indicate that the attackers first broke into an outside room belonging to her son, who was at work, and stole household items. They then proceeded to the main house where they found Gogo MaMkhwanazi asleep and attacked her. Her granddaughter, who was asleep in another bedroom, was not discovered and thus escaped harm.

Pictured above:The former Mayor of Nongoma Local Municipality Clifford Ndabandaba has resigned as the NFP councillor along with other five councillors with immediate effect.

Image source: Nongoma Local Municipality