A 45-year-old South African man, Khayelihle Khehla Dhlomo, has been arrested for the 2022 murder of his wife, Khanyisile Dhlomo, whose death was initially ruled a suicide.
Dhlomo, the principal of Sithembile Primary School in Lindelani, appeared in a Durban court on July 28, 2025, where he was formally charged and remanded in custody.
His wife was found dead in September 2022 with multiple stab wounds, including a deep cut under her left breast, but her husband claimed she had taken her own life.
Despite the severity of her injuries, authorities at the time accepted his account without a full investigation, and the case was closed.
Family members, however, never believed it was suicide, insisting that “the wounds were not self-inflicted.”
After nearly two years of pressure from the family and women’s rights activists, the case was reopened by a provincial SAPS Task Team in mid-2024.
New forensic evidence, witness statements, and contradictions in Dhlomo’s original version pointed clearly to foul play.
He went into hiding as the investigation progressed but was eventually arrested in Illovo in late July.
Prosecutors are opposing bail, citing the serious nature of the charges and his previous attempt to evade arrest.
Community members have expressed outrage that he continued working as a school principal while under suspicion.
Khanyisile’s family now says they finally feel justice may be on the horizon, declaring, “She didn’t just die — she was silenced.”