Manager Suspected of Killing Ayabonga Mjilo Appears in Court, Drops Bail Bid

• A suspect appeared in the Durban Magistrate's Court, allegedly for kidnapping and murdering his subordinate
• Police discovered Ayabonga Mjilo buried in a shallow grave in Mfanafuthi Kunene's backyard on Saturday, 4 January
• Mjilo went missing before Christmas, with the police registering a kidnapping case that led to Kunene's arrest

DURBAN — A man arrested for strangling Ayabonga Mjilo and burying her body in his backyard in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, appeared in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Monday, 6 January 2025.

Mfanafuthi Kunene faces kidnapping and murder charges after Mjilo, 21, was last seen alive and in his company before the gruesome discovery.

Murder suspected KZN manager abandons bail

The pair reportedly left together from Capello, a restaurant in Umhlanga, north of Durban, in the early hours of Monday, 23 December 2024.

Police opened a kidnapping case on Christmas Day after she did not return home. KZN spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said an investigation pointed to Kunene, 37, who was Mjilo's manager.

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Netshiunda said there was reportedly an argument between the two, leading the man to allegedly strangle her to death.

Watch the video of Kunene's appearance here.

He then allegedly buried Mjilo — who, according to her missing person poster, previously worked at Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company Nutun and, recently, Webhelp — in his backyard.

He was arrested on 4 January.

Kunene showed visible injuries and walked with a noticeable limp during his brief appearance in the dock inside the packed court.

Subsequently, he abandoned his bail bid, opting not to challenge his remand in custody until his next court date on 26 February.

Meanwhile, a suspect appeared in the Gqeberha Magistrate's Court on Friday, 3 January, charged with the alleged murder of his girlfriend on New Year's Day.

According to reports, Baxolise Vuso had taken Zanele Dibaza, with whom he was in a relationship, to his place in Qunu township in Chatty.

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However, concern mounted when her sister could not get through to the 21-year-old to head to the shops with them.

The woman went to Vuso's home, where she found Dibaza with severe head wounds and was rushed to hospital. She died on arrival.

Vuso handed himself to police at about 8pm the same day, and he was charged with murder. His case was remanded to a later date.

Source: Briefly News