KwaZulu-Natal police are bringing the war to criminals who have made eThekwini CBD their place to hide while continuing with their nefarious activities.
These, according to the police, include hardened criminals wanted for various crimes. Their crimes include murder, human trafficking, extortion and rape.
They are believed to have taken advantage of abandoned and hijacked buildings. These are being rented out to unsuspecting victims desperate for accommodation.
According to police, the criminal syndicate also uses hijacked buildings to run prostitution and drug dens. They amass wealth from these illegal trades.
Police coming hard on criminal syndicates
“We have a plan to drive them out. They must know that KwaZulu-Natal is no place for criminals. It’s our duty as police to ensure that law-abiding citizens are kept safe from those who insist on breaking the law,” said provincial commissioner lieutenant-general Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The no-nonsense police boss was reacting in the aftermath of the killing of six suspects. They were killed at an apartment in Durban’s south beach area on Monday.
South Beach is a highly sought-after destination for international and domestic tourists. It has majestic sea views and low-cost holiday accommodations.
Police say initially their intelligence had pointed them to Newlands East. This after suspects allegedly committed various murders in two areas around the Durban metro.
But when police tried to ambush the suspects in Newlands East near KwaMashu Township, they were unsuccessful. The intelligence subsequently traced the suspects to at a rented holiday apartment on South Beach avenue in the Point area of Durban.
Six suspects killed in shoot-out with police
“When police announced their presence at the apartment, the suspects opened fire, and a shoot-out ensued. All six suspects were shot and fatally wounded during the shoot-out. No police officer sustained any injuries,” said KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
Netshiunda further mentioned that the wanted suspects were linked to a plethora of offences.
These include three men who were shot dead near a tuck-shop in Mpumalanga township, west of Durban. The gun-wielding men went on to Tshelimnyama, a residential area in Marianhill, near PineTown. While there, armed with rifles, they allegedly accosted five men seated in a vehicle.
String of lawlessness, wanton killings by criminal gangs
They ordered them to lie down before shooting them execution style. The slain suspects are believed to have been part of an extortion syndicate running amok in KwaZulu-Natal.
A week before that, a police raid in the notorious point area’s hijacked buildings uncovered mass volume of drugs. More than 200 undocumented foreign nationals and suspects wanted for serious crimes were also apprehended. One of them was a man wanted for a string of rapes committed in Umlazi township. A bag filled with fake American dollars was also discovered during the raid.
