Brig Vishnu Naidoo confirms that at 6pm members of the SAPS National Intervention Unit (NIU) were involved in a struggle with a group of suspects which resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries.
The NIU members were acting on information they received on the possible reproduction of guns.
They pulled over a minibus taxi with a group of male occupants near the prison.
“This group of suspects allegedly consisted of illegal miners, aka Zama Zamas and their so-called ‘protectors’,” says Naidoo.
He believes the so-called ‘protectors’ are a group of men from KwaZulu-Natal who allegedly protect the Zama Zama gangs.
Immediately after stopping the suspicious vehicle, a shoot-out ensued resulting in one NIU Â member being shot and wounded.
Naidoo confirms the policeman is in a stable condition.
Six suspects were also shot during the shoot-out but one died shortly after the incident, while the rest were taken to a nearby hospital.
These suspects are currently under police guard.
He says some of the suspects are in a critical condition.
A further six suspects were arrested and taken into custody.
“We recovered five handguns, which will be sent for ballistic testing to establish if they were used to commit other crimes,” adds Naidoo.
