A grieving family in Phoenix, north of Durban wants answers after their daughter Phumla Mtshali was killed in a hit-and-run incident that occurred in the early hours of Friday morning.
KwaZulu-Natal police have confirmed that the vehicle involved was attached to the SAPS Royal Protection Services.Mtshali was walking along the Phoenix Highway.An eye witness says after the incident, unknown individuals returned to the scene to take the vehicle’s number plate that had fallen off. “During the commotion, I heard people screaming that they were taking the number plate. When I tried to run after them, they got inside the vehicle and ran off. Fortunately, I had taken a picture of the number plate,” the witness says.
A local private security company, Reaction Unit SA, reported finding a black vehicle belonging to SAPS in a sugarcane plantation in the Canelands area.The family suspect that the driver of the vehicle is trying to cover up what they call a murder. The victim’s mother Smangele Mtshali says she wants justice for her daughter and has appealed to the police to probe the incident thoroughly.“The person responsible for this must be brought to book. I am a police officer and a dedicated one. My father served in the force for 30 years. The state must also protect me and my family,” she says.