Thugs who are believed to have been tormenting businesses in Durban demanding the so-called protection fee have been stopped in their tracks.
on Thursday, four men were intercepted at the Lark Road. The road leads to Dumisani Makhaye Drive towards KwaMashu Township. According to police, the men were wanted suspected of being connected with several murders, robbery and extortions. These were committed in the Durban CBD and various townships in the eThekwini metro.
The suspects had been driving a red Polo VW when they were spotted by police, who had been acting on intelligence.
Suspects opened fire first
Police in KZN said the suspects fired first, leading to police returning fire. This led to the demise of all the suspects.
“When they saw the police, the suspects opened fire and the police retaliated. During the shootout, three of the four suspects were fatally wounded,” KZN police spokesman Colonel Paul Magwaza said.
The SAPS also stated that during the exchange of gunfire, none of the police were injured. The fourth suspect had attempted to flee, but could not make it.
“Police subsequently conducted a search of the crime scene. This led to the discovery of the fourth body of the suspect. The suspect had attempted to flee the scene, but he had sustained gunshot wounds,” Magwaza explained further.
The recently released crime statistics point to KZN being among the leading provinces for extortion incidents. This together with Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.
Top cop prioritises fight against brazen criminals
Since Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi took over the reins as the top cop in the province, police have resorted to fighting fire with fire.
Mkhwanazi explained recently that police have seen a surge of extortionist groups targeting spaza shops. The targeted businesses are those owned by foreign nationals, especially in the townships.
“This is part of the problem that we are having. Many of these people have been arrested and killed. For everyone that dies, another youngster is bored. And they decide to take over the reins and do the same,” Mkhwanazi explained.
Visit SW YouTube Channel for our video content
