Staff Writer | Thurs, 4 Dec 2025
picture by NC Hawks: Alleged cop killer, Sankelo Anele Ndabezitha
The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team has arrested a Northern Cape man who had been on the run for more than two years after allegedly killing a police detective in Batlharos near Kuruman.
The 40-year-old suspect, Sankelo Anele Ndabezitha, was wanted in connection with the June 2023 murder of Detective Sergeant Sepadile, who was attached to the Batlharos Detective Unit.
According the Provincial Hawks spokesperson, Tebogo Thebe, Ndabezitha also faces charges of attempted murder, discharging a firearm in a municipal area, and malicious damage to property.
Thebe said the incident stemmed from an altercation between Ndabezitha and a drinking companion on the night of 11 June 2023.
“Community members intervened and defused the dispute, but the following day the suspect allegedly returned to confront the same individual at a rented property — this time armed.The drinking companion reportedly fled into the main house on the property, which belonged to Detective Sergeant Sepadile.
Ndabezitha allegedly followed and shot the police official twice at close range before fleeing with the firearm, ” Thebe said in a statement.
The suspect was circulated as wanted in the media, and informants were activated to assist in locating him.
The breakthrough came when Ndabezitha was traced to Orange Farm in Johannesburg, prompting a joint operation involving the Hawks’ Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS) and Gauteng’s National Priority Violent Crime units.
He was arrested on Tuesday, 2 December 2025, after what authorities described as an extensive search. An identification process later confirmed his identity.
Ndabezitha appeared in the Mothibistad Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 3 December 2025.His case was postponed to Monday, 8 December 2025, for the appointment of legal representation and a formal bail application.
News Junction (Gold Standard)
