Two wanted murder suspects killed in shootout with KZN police

Two suspects wanted for murder, attempted murder and robbery have been killed in a shootout with police in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

It is understood the criminals were fatally wounded during a confrontation with police in the Namibia area of Inanda in the early hours of Friday.

Shootout with police

Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said Murder Task Team members acted on intelligence about the hideout spot of the suspects.

“Upon introducing themselves as police officers, the suspects fired shots and during an inevitable self-defence shootout, two suspects were shot and fatally wounded.

“The two house robbery cases, one robbery with a firearm and the attempted murder cases were all committed in the Inanda area this month (October 2024), whereas the murder case was committed in June 2024,” Netshiunda said.

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Link to other crimes

Netshiunda added that a firearm with one round of ammunition was found in the possession of the suspects.

“It will be subjected to ballistic testing to ascertain if it could be linked to other violent crimes in and around the province.”

The gun battle comes a day after police warned about clamping down on criminals in KZN.

KZN a hotspot

On Thursday, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said communities in the province want the police to take decisive action against criminals “in whatever manner”. This is as he revealed that just over 100 suspects were killed in one year.

Mchunu highlighted that KZN ranks among the top four provinces in South Africa for criminal activity saying that 42% of all reported crimes in the province come from the eThekwini metro area.

“There are crimes that are performed directly to destroy the economy by way of this thing called construction mafias, extortion and direct robberies to business properties.”

According to Mchunu, these crimes have discouraged investment in KZN, ultimately “leaving a field of unemployment” in the province.

The minister said KZN supports law enforcement taking firm action against criminals.

Additional reporting by Molefe Seeletsa

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