KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi says police do not know the motive behind the “hit” attempt of Advocate Coreth Naude of the South African Revenue Service (Sars).
Mkhwanazi said the attempted murder case has been handed over to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) (Hawks) for investigation.
Naude was shot multiple times on Thursday afternoon while driving in Umhlanga, north of Durban.
Targeted shooting probed as part of the bigger focus in KZN
Mkhwanazi was speaking at a media briefing on Friday to reflect on the state of policing in the province.
He spoke about the stability in the province, crime analysis, arrests and detection performance. He also spoke on shootouts as well as progress on high profile cases. The province was the focus area before, during and after the 2024 national and provincial elections. And as such, Mkhwanazi touched on the work of the national deployment in the province. Also on how police plan to keep the province stable going forward.
The briefing took place at the SAPS KZN provincial headquarters in Durban.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Lt-Col Robert Netshiunda said police are investigating Naude’s shooting.
“Police in Durban north are investigating a case of attempted murder. This follows an incident in which a woman was shot at whilst driving into a hotel parking lot. The …incident happened in Umhlanga, north of Durban, on Thursday afternoon. Reports indicate that the woman had stopped at the boom gate when two suspects approached her vehicle and opened fire. The victim reportedly managed to drive to safety, and she was rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds. Suspects fled the scene in a silver or grey Toyota Corolla. Its registration plate has been found to have been cloned,” said Netshiunda.
Sars boss condemns shooting
Sars commissioner, Edward Kieswetter, spoke strongly against the attack. He condemned in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Advocate Coreth Naude.
“This shocking act is intended to intimidate officers of court to abandon the vital work they are performing in furtherance of our country’s legal system. It undermines the authority of the state.
“Acts such as these and those who perpetrate it, must be resisted and defeated by all of us. We should work… together for the betterment of our country and ensuring that none is above the law.
“Sars calls on our law enforcement agencies to act with speed in pursuing and arresting [the suspects]. Those who attempted to take a life of Advocate Naude must be brought to book. Sars wishes Advocate Naude speedy recovery and wish her family well. We will not be intimidated by such acts of crime and cowardice,” said Kieswetter.
