A man who confessed to murdering his girlfriend in a viral video was found dead in an apparent suicide just hours later in the Malangeni area of Umzinto.
The suspect, identified as Sbusiso Lawrence, filmed the confession on Tuesday night, which quickly circulated on social media.
According to KZN SAPS spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda, police responded to reports of a murder on a gravel road in Malangeni on Wednesday morning. There, they discovered the body of 25-year-old Nontobeko Cele lying in the middle of the road, with several stab wounds. A broken knife was found next to her body.
It is believed that Lawrence picked up Ms Cele from her home. Authorities suspect a domestic dispute between the couple escalated into the fatal attack. Lawrence’s vehicle was later found abandoned on a nearby road, bloodied and left behind, prompting a swift manhunt.
Lawrence’s body was discovered later that day, hanging from a tree, just a short distance from where Ms Cele’s body had been found. It is believed he took his own life.
The viral video, filmed at the scene of the crime, showed Lawrence attempting to justify his actions. In the video, his face is splattered with blood, and he claimed Ms Cele had ended their relationship despite his attempts to treat her well. He also said they had a dispute about him accessing a Road Accident Fund payout made to her, after an accident, where he knocked her.
Colonel Netshiunda said they were investigating the case as a murder, with an additional inquest docket opened in relation to the suicide.
