Operation Dudula march turns deadly – 1 killed, 1 injured in shootout

An altercation between members of the Operation Dudula group and residents of Chicken Farm, Soweto, has claimed the life of one man, while a woman was injured by what is believed to be gunfire from foreign nationals fighting back against the group.

Police also say there may have been four more people injured in the incident.

Members of Operation Dudula and residents of Pimville were allegedly marching against the issue of electricity cable theft in the informal settlement in Kliptown.

During the march an altercation between ensued between the marchers and an unknown group, leading to shots being fired at about 16:30.

Police confirmed that a man and woman were caught in the crossfire. The man succumbed to gunshot wounds, while the woman was shot in the leg. Both victims are South African nationals.

According to Operation Dudula leader, Nhlanhla ‘Lux’ Dlamini, the people who fired the gunshots are Zimbabweans and Lesotho nationals.

“We just got shot at with AK47s and R5s in Soweto! Zimbabweans and Sotho Nationals opened fire in a SA community crowd that was attending to cable theft. My guys got hit,” the leader tweeted.

“There are reports of four more people who have been taken to the hospital with injuries, we are still tracing these injured people,” South African Police Service Brigadier Brenda Muridili told The Citizen.

No arrests have yet been made.

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