2021 Sydenham bloodbath: Suspect walks free after five years on the run as nine were killed

The man responsible for the 2021 Sydenham bloodbath, where nine individuals were shot dead, has been released after charges against him were withdrawn. Police believe the mastermind behind the killings, who was also among the shooters, remains in custody for another murder. Colonel Robert Netshiunda, a police spokesman, confirmed that the investigation will examine the court's reasons for withdrawing the charges and collaborate with the prosecution to reinstate them.

The suspect's arrest prompted further developments in the case. Police discovered that another suspect, believed to be the mastermind and shooter in the 2021 Sydenham massacre, is currently serving a sentence for a separate murder. Formal charges against this individual are being processed, and he is expected to appear in court soon.

The violence occurred on October 16, 2021, at a house in the Palmiet Road informal settlement in Sydenham, a suburb west of Durban's city center. Six people lost their lives in the initial shooting. Three additional fatalities resulted from separate shootings that took place nearby on the same day, allegedly perpetrated by the same gunmen. Police identified two suspects, and the case was referred to the KwaZulu-Natal murder and robbery unit.

One of the men was apprehended in Empangeni, where he resisted arrest and was subsequently shot dead in a shootout. The second suspect evaded authorities for nearly five years, hiding at Obuka, near Melmoth, until detectives located him last Wednesday night. He was subsequently arrested and was scheduled to appear in the Durban Magistrate's Court last Friday on multiple murder charges.