Mothibistad – The long arm of the law has caught up with 40-year-old Sankelo Anele Ndabezitha, who had been on the run for more than two years, while wanted in connection with the murder of a police officer.
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe said the wanted accused has been evading law enforcement since June 2023.
“Sankelo faces charges of murder of a police official, attempted murder, discharging of a firearm in the municipal area, as well as malicious damage to property,” Lieutenant Colonel Thebe said on Thursday, 4 December 2025.
“It is alleged that the accused went on a rampage after an altercation ensued between him and his drinking mate on the evening of 11 June 2023 in Batlharos near Kuruman.”
However, community members managed to calm the situation down.
The next day, the accused allegedly confronted his drinking mate again at his rented shack, this time with a firearm in his hand.
The mate ran for cover and managed to run into the main house.
The house was owned by police Sergeant Sepadile, who was attached to the Batlharos Detective section.
The accused allegedly fatally shot the police officer twice at close range before he fled the scene with the firearm.
Various DPCI units, such as Hawks’ Tactical Operations Management Section and Gauteng National Priority Violent Crime units, were tasked to assist with the tracing of the accused.
Although a wanted poster of the suspect was circulated, he somehow evaded arrest for more than two years.
Nevertheless, the accused, Ndabezitha, was eventually traced to Orange Farm in Johannesburg and arrested earlier this week on Tuesday, 2 December 2025, after an extensive search.
The arrest was followed by an identification process, which confirmed the accused as a wanted suspect.
The accused was charged and brought before the Mothibistad Magistrate’s Court, Northern Cape, on Wednesday, 3 December 2025.
The accused was remanded in custody after the matter was adjourned to Monday, 8 December 2025.
