The Port Shepstone and Kokstad K9 Search and Rescue team recovered the body of a 25-year-old male who had jumped into Umzintlava River. A team of detectives were searching for the suspect who was wanted for two cases of housebreaking and theft committed in the Mount Ayliff area last month.
Police proceeded to Mphela Zone 5 in Kokstad where they found the suspect. When he was approached, the suspect fled and jumped into the river where he drowned. The Search and Rescue team was alerted of the incident and they proceeded to the river. A search was conducted and the body was recovered and taken to the government mortuary. An inquest docket was opened at the Kokstad police station for investigation.
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni applauded members of the Search and Rescue Unit who recovered the body after a painstaking search along the river. “I am disappointed that suspect chose the easy way out by taking his own life rather than facing the consequences of his actions,” she said.