A 22-year-old South African man is facing serious allegations after being accused of murdering his girlfriend and concealing her body in a suitcase before burial. The suspect, Themba Xaba, made his first brief court appearance at the Umlazi Magistrates Court on Monday, December 22, 2025.
Details of the Alleged Crime and Discovery
The victim has been identified as 23-year-old Zinhle Mchunu, a University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) student from Ladysmith who was scheduled to graduate in the coming year. According to police reports, Xaba allegedly killed Mchunu, placed her body into her own suitcase, and buried it in a shallow grave at a property he was renting in Umlazi.
Mchunu's body was discovered approximately one month after she was first reported missing. The case began to unfold on November 22, 2025, when Mchunu's sister, who resides in Gauteng, received a phone call from Xaba. A family member, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that Xaba claimed he and Zinhle had argued. He told the sister that Mchunu packed three pairs of pants into a suitcase and left late at night, and he assumed she had gone to her ex-boyfriend's home.
Family's Suspicion and the Investigation
The family found Xaba's story unconvincing and decided to travel to Durban around November 24 to meet him at a police station for clarification. However, as they were en route, Xaba left Durban and went to his hometown of Ladysmith. The family member further disclosed that Xaba was found in possession of Mchunu's bank card and cellphones, and that WhatsApp conversations from November had been deleted.
Friends of Mchunu had already filed a missing person's report and alerted both the family and police to text messages in which Xaba reportedly asked his landlord for tools to dig the ground. "We arrived in Durban and went to the police station where we introduced ourselves as the parents," the family member said. A search of Xaba's rented room yielded no clues initially.
While inspecting the yard, the family noticed a damaged wall. When questioned about the tools, Xaba stated he needed them to burn rubbish. "We saw where he had burnt stuff, but no one thought of digging further," the relative added. With little progress from the police, the family hired a private investigator.
Confession and Court Proceedings
The breakthrough came on December 19. The family received a late-night call from police instructing them not to sleep as officers were coming to Ladysmith with an update. The detective who arrived first asked for water, a moment that made the family member nervous. After drinking, the detective explained they had picked up Xaba from Bergville.
Initially, during the drive to Durban, Xaba denied any knowledge of Mchunu's disappearance or death. After spending a night in police cells, he asked to speak to the detective again. It was then that Xaba confessed to killing Mchunu, putting her body in the suitcase, and burying her. The family member speculated, "I’m assuming that he only spoke because they were now going to search the residence he rented with the dogs."
During his court appearance on December 22, Xaba reportedly sent a message through his mother, expressing sorrow and claiming the killing was a mistake. The suspect is scheduled to appear again in court on January 26, 2026, when he intends to apply for bail.
The family is now awaiting DNA results to finalize funeral arrangements. Tragically, Zinhle Mchunu leaves behind a three-year-old daughter who is constantly asking for her mother. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo, confirmed the incident and the court appearance.
