Wanted criminal killed in Weenen shoot-out
The suspect was linked to multiple murder investigations in Gauteng and KZN
Mbuso Ndabazovela Biyela, who has been labelled ‘Gauteng’s most wanted suspect’, was fatally wounded in a shoot-out with police during the early hours of Monday morning (June 6).
A highly specialised team comprising officials from the Serious & Violent Crimes (murder and robbery) Unit, Tracking Team, Soweto District Crime Intelligence, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal Tactical Response Teams descended on the village of Sahlumbe (Ematsheleni) in Weenen.
Fatal shootout
The team tactically approached the house where Biyela was hiding, but he spotted them and started shooting. The policemen were forced to retaliate and Biyela was fatally wounded in the exchange of gunfire. None of the officers were injured.
“The team recovered an unlicensed firearm and ammunition upon entering the house,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili.
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The deadly shoot-out follows an announcement by Gauteng police on May 29 that a reward of up to R100,000 was being offered to anyone who came forward with information leading to Biyela’s arrest and conviction.
Linked to murder cases
The suspect has been linked to eight cases, including the murder of a police officer in October last year.
“Biyela was positively linked to five cases of murder that were committed between October 2021 and March 2022. He was further linked to a Lenasia December 2017 case of hijacking and Lenasia South December 2017 for possession of an unlicensed firearm, as well as a KwaZulu-Natal August 2020 case of murder. Biyela was previously arrested in both KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng for murder in August 2020 and October 2021 respectively, but he managed to escape from lawful custody,” explained Brigadier Muridili.
The provincial commissioner of Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, has commended the multi-disciplinary joint operation team that conducted the take-down operation, as well as the informants who contacted police with vital information.
“We, as the police in Gauteng, have committed to entrenching ourselves into our communities to realise the ideal of community policing. We issued a call to anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of one of our most wanted suspects and the calls we received assisted us a lot. Thank you to the public as, together, we have ensured the end of Biyela’s reign of terror,” concluded Lieutenant General Mawela.
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