Durban — Two suspected hitmen from the Mahlabathini area in the Zululand District, were shot and killed during a shootout with police on Wednesday evening.
In a statement, police had gathered intelligence regarding two suspects who were travelling in a red VW Polo who were allegedly on their way to assassinate a tax owner.
“The intelligence was operationalised and the suspects’ vehicle was spotted driving along the P700 road in Mahlabathini. Police used blue lights and sirens to instruct the driver of the vehicle to pull over,” police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said.
He added that the driver stopped in the middle of the road, and in a blur, two occupants got out of the vehicle and opened fire at the police. Police officers returned fire and a shootout happened.
“During the resultant shootout, two suspects were shot and fatally wounded. Three firearms and ammunition were found in the possession of the suspects. Preliminary investigations have confirmed that one of the firearms was reported stolen at Macekane Reserve in Mtunzini in January 2024,” Netshiunda said.
He added that no police officer sustained any injuries during the incident and recovered firearms that will go for ballistics testing to determine if it was linked to any other crime scenes in the province.
Two alleged hitmen have been killed in a shootout with police in Mahlabathini, on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast. Police say they were on their way to assassinate a taxi owner. Police had gathered intelligence about this plot.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
