Friday, August 21st, 2026
Police launch manhunt for killers
Two more die in Knysna shooting
CRIME SCENE: Knysna, Southern Cape: Two men have been shot and killed a day after a former Knysna mayor also died in a hail of bullets in the area.
Western Cape serious violent crime (SVC) detectives have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of the latest shooting incident on Thursday evening, 20 August 2026.
According to a Western Cape police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, preliminary reports indicate that the two deceased persons, aged 47 and 48, were in a vehicle in Bongani when they came under fire at approximately 21:00 from unidentified gunmen.
The provincial serious violent crimes detective team that had been investigating the fatal shooting of the former mayor and current ward councillor, Aubrey Tsengwa (48), that had occurred on Wednesday evening, had since been reinforced.
Potelwa said additional SVC detectives are in the area to probe the shooting incidents.
“The motive for both shootings remains the subject of the police investigation. Police are also probing whether the incidents are in any way related,” said Potelwa.
Anyone with information that could assist the ongoing investigations is urged to contact Sergeant Nobuntu Thundezwa on 082 522 1251.
Foreigners nabbed as cops strike on farm
R600-m drug lab uncovered
CRIME SCENE: Musina, Limpopo: Law enforcement authorities have struck a major blow against the illegal drug trade in South Africa when they uncovered a suspected R600 million clandestine drug laboratory on a farm.
The intelligence-driven operation was led by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks), in collaboration with the South African Police Service (SAPS), South African Narcotics Bureau, Crime Intelligence, SAPS Special Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Agency and Homeland Security.
Five suspects, aged between 20 and 47, comprising two Mexican nationals, two Zimbabwean nationals and one Malawian national, were arrested on the farm in the Vhembe District of Musina on Thursday night, 20 August 2026
Drugs and laboratory equipment with an estimated street value of R600 million, as well as an undisclosed amount of cash, were seized.
The Provincial Head of the Hawks in Limpopo, Major General Gopz Govender, said the operation sends a clear warning to organised criminal networks.
This is the third clandestine drug laboratory to be shut down in Limpopo.
“The breakthrough follows a two-month intensive investigation into suspected drug manufacturing activities at the farm. The discovery has exposed an alleged sophisticated, industrial-scale operation believed to have been established for the manufacture of dangerous illicit substances destined for distribution.
“We have struck at the machinery behind the drug trade. This R600 million seizure is not merely a quantity of drugs taken off the streets; it represents the disruption of an entire criminal enterprise. We will follow the money, the networks and every person connected to this operation. There will be nowhere to hide,” said Govender.
The Provincial Commissioner of SAPS Limpopo, Lieutenant General Jan Scheepers, said the operation demonstrates law enforcement’s resolve to protect communities from the scourge of illicit drugs.
“We will not allow our communities to become markets for criminal syndicates. Those who manufacture and distribute these dangerous substances must know that law enforcement is closing in on them,” said Scheepers.
The five suspects are expected to appear before the Musina Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 24 August 2026, facing charges relating to the manufacture and possession of illicit drugs. Additional charges may be added as the investigation progresses.