Police nab 16 after taxi rank shooting
A total of 16 suspects were arrested for a shooting which started in the Durban CBD.
KWAZULU-NATAL acting provincial commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa, has commended the swift response by police which led to the arrest of suspects and the recovery of a number of firearms at the weekend.
“In this province, we will not tolerate any violence especially relating to the taxi industry as members of the community are normally caught during the exchange of gunfire. We work diligently to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book,” he said.
This follows an incident on 27 April at 5pm, when a group of heavily armed gunmen travelling in a Toyota Quantum minibus taxi stormed the taxi rank in Brook Street, Durban.
Colonel Thembeka Mbhele from provincial SAPS said: “They fired multiple gunshots and sped off. Three people were seriously injured and taken to hospital for medical attention and a 56-year-old victim later passed away.”
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The suspects fled towards Pinetown but were spotted by a police officer from the Pinetown Task Team in Chelsea Avenue, New Germany, who gave chase.
“The suspects opened fire at him and he retaliated. No injuries were sustained and the suspects abandoned their vehicle and ran into a building in Scott Road, Pinetown. The National Intervention Unit was called in. A total of 16 suspects were arrested and 17 firearms were seized which included nine rifles, a shotgun and seven pistols,” said Mbhele.
The suspects will be charged for murder and attempted murder, including the shooting of a police officer in Pinetown. They will also be charged for illegal possession of firearms.
“They will appear in court soon. The case will be assigned to the Provincial Task Team for further investigation. The firearms will be subjected to ballistic testing to ascertain if they were used in any other pending cases,” said Mbhele.
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