AFTER being addicted to whoonga for several years, a man from KwaMashu K section, north of Durban, eventually became drug-free.
Sadly, he enjoyed only a brief period of living clean.
In the few months of his drug-free life, he touched many lives and made a difference.
However, the 39-year-old Sphiwe Ndlanzi died a painful death. He was beaten to death, allegedly by a relative who accused him of stealing his gun.
His sister, Nomaswazi Ndlanzi (33), told Daily Sun that the relative was accusing her brother of stealing his gun, which he found after Sphiwe was already dead.
"The relative gave his gun to someone for safekeeping as he was boozing. But later, he realised that his gun wasn't on him, and the first person he suspected was Sphiwe. He and his friends fetched Sphiwe and went to beat him up. They were beating him up with spades and sjamboks. They beat him until his teeth fell off, undressed him and poured cold water on him," she claimed.
Nomaswazi said when they heard that Sphiwe was being beaten, another relative went to try to stop them, but couldn't.
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"Later, they told us that he was taken to the clinic by the police. So, on the following day, I contacted the clinic to check if Sphiwe was there. I was informed that he was brought to the clinic by someone who left him without giving any information."
She said she suspects that, while they were beating him, they realised he was getting weak, so they covered him with a blanket and dumped him near the clinic.
"I was told that he was found lying next to the road, close to the clinic. So, during the cold, rainy night, he was lying next to the road terribly injured."
Nomaswazi said her brother had been addicted to whoonga for almost 18 years, but he had changed his life.
"He went to a church which helps with addiction. He spent four months there and returned home in July this year. In the few months he was back home and drug-free. He managed to help other addicts from the area stop smoking whoonga. In his last days, he had a positive impact on our community. Many people are hurt by his death. I believe that he was still going to do more and help more people."
KZN police spokeswoman Captain Ntathu Ndlovu said cops in KwaMashu are investigating a case of murder following an incident in which a 39-year-old man allegedly died at a clinic on Monday, 13 October 2025.
