Maskandi artist Sjula “Iqhawe LakoMenziwa” Biyela was killed over the weekend in a crossfire following a shootout with the police.
Iqhawe LakoMenziwa is popular for songs like Sas’banga Ubunsizwa and Yimi uNumber 4.
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Maskandi Artist Killed In A Police Shootout
Daily Sun reported that on Saturday night, 10 February 2024, Iqhawe LakoMenziwa was with his brother Sihle Biyela and friends Bizokwakhe Sithole (52) and Lindani Ncanana (37) at Ntibane Lodge in Babanango in KwaZulu-Natal.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) was hunting for the quartet in connection with several cases of murder. The officers under the Stabilization Operation Team heard that the four were at the lodge and headed there.
On arrival, cops requested the gang to open the door, and the four responded with a flurry of gunshots. A shootout then ensued.
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Police Confirm The Tragic Incident
KZN police spokesman Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed the incident, revealing that they carried out the operation on intelligence regarding the whereabouts of the four.
“The intelligence led the police officers to a lodge where the suspects were hiding. When police announced their presence, the suspects fired shots from inside three chalets and in self-defence, police returned fire, and a shootout ensued.”
The police killed Iqhawe LakoMenziwa and his brother, Sihle and the two friends inside the room. They were certified dead at the scene of the melee. No police officer died or sustained injuries in the violent shootout.
Maskandi musician Quality Biyela, a Biyela family member, expressed to Daily Sun how they are stunned by murder allegations:
“I don’t recall that they were involved in murder incidents, and I don’t recall crime charges opened against them. My brother Iqhawe LakoMenziwa, who is based in Joburg, visited home two weeks ago, and he was expected to go back to Joburg on Tuesday, 13 February”.