KZN news bites: Speaker hopeful that MKP won’t disrupt Zulu King’s opening of legislature

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

Mayville: The Speaker of the KZN Legislature is hoping that members of political parties will respect the official Opening of the Legislature by the Zulu King to avoid the chaos they caused during the vote of no confidence against Premier Thami Ntuli.

Speaker Nontembeko Boyce made the remarks during the announcement of the state of readiness at a media briefing held on Tuesday in Mayville, Durban. She said that this year’s Official Opening of the third session of the seventh term is convened under the theme:

“Advancing Service Delivery that Makes Meaningful Impact through Legislation, Oversight and Public Participation.”

“This theme reflects our firm commitment as the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature to ensure that our constitutional responsibilities translate into tangible improvements in the lives of the people of our province. As the first democratic Speaker of Parliament, Frene Ginwala, once reminded us:“Parliament is the voice of the people, and it must act in their interests at all times.” she said.

The Opening will take place on Thursday at Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg.

Ntuzuma: The Ntuzuma Regional Court has sentenced two men, Sthembele Nongqakanga (27) and Jan Sinqina (21), to life imprisonment each for the murder of 23-year-old Lebohang Mabuya. The murder occurred in May 2024 in the Etafuleni area of Inanda, north of Durban. The accused were known to the deceased, as they lived in close proximity and would on occasion socialise together.

On 28 May 2024, the accused were walking along a road in the area when they encountered the deceased. Following an altercation, they killed him and left him lying on the road before fleeing the scene. The accused later confessed to state witnesses about what they had done. One of the witnesses reported the matter to the deceased’s family and subsequently pointed out both accused to the police, leading to their arrest.

Edendale: Two suspects who were believed to be part of the group that robbed a cash-in-transit vehicle in Verulam on Monday, 23 February 2026, were shot and fatally wounded in a shoot-out with police in the Nhlazatshe area of Shayamoya, Edendale, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, 24 February 2026.

On Monday afternoon, at least 12 suspects robbed a cash-in-transit vehicle at the corner of Jabu Ngcobo and Fairview roads in Verulam. The suspects brought the cash delivery truck to a standstill and allegedly robbed security guards of their three firearms before fleeing the scene with an undisclosed amount of money. Just after midnight on Tuesday, police gathered intelligence that some of the suspects involved in the Verulam cash-in-transit robbery were hiding in Edendale.

Pictured above: KZN Legislature Speaker Nontembeko Boyce and the Secretary of the Legislature, Nerusha Naidoo, briefing the media ahead of the Opening of the KZN Legislature.

Image source: Celani Sikhakhane