Durban — Three suspects wanted for extortion and murder were killed in a shoot-out with police in two separate incidents in Durban, days after a parliamentary written question revealed that KwaZulu-Natal had the fourth-highest number of extortion cases.
KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said three suspects who were wanted for a string of extortion and murder cases in the eThekwini District were shot and killed in two separate incidents of shoot-outs with police in KZN on Wednesday afternoon and the early hours of Thursday.
In the first incident on Wednesday afternoon, police followed up on information regarding the whereabouts of a suspect wanted for at least four extortion cases and another four counts of murder which he allegedly committed in the KwaNdengezi and Mariannhill areas.
“When police arrived at a house at Glebe in Inanda, the suspect fired shots at the police and during the shoot-out, the suspect was shot and fatally wounded. He was found in possession of a 7.65 pistol with four rounds of ammunition,” Netshiunda said.
In the second incident, police operationalised intelligence which uncovered the hideout of two suspects who were also wanted for extortion and murder cases.
“The suspects were cornered at Edabe informal settlement in Tshelimnyama in Mariannhill and the suspects shot at the police from inside the house. In self-defence police returned fire and during the shoot-out, two suspects were shot and fatally wounded. They were found in possession of two firearms,” Netshiunda said.
He said all recovered firearms will be taken for ballistic testing to check if they are linked to other crime scenes.
Netshiunda added that the three deceased suspects had links to the six suspects who were shot and fatally wounded in a shoot-out with police at holiday accommodation in South Beach, Durban at the beginning of September 2024.
Meanwhile, in August, concerning extortion gangs targeting small businesses in South Africa, Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana asked Police Minister Senzo Mchunu what total number of cases had been opened to date in each province since April 2013 and how many arrests and prosecutions have been successful.
In response, Mchunu provided the total number of extortion cases investigated by Organised Crime Investigations capability, within Detective and Forensic Services, and the total number of arrests made from April 1, 2023, to date, in the respective provinces:
Mchunu said there have been no convictions regarding the cases as they are currently on trial.
Gana also asked the minister whether he planned to establish a unit to deal with extortion gangs.
Mchunu said: “An investigative capacity has been established in the Organised Crime Investigations and Serious and Violence Crime Investigations Components, within the Division: Detective and Forensic Services, to address the incidents of extortion and violence at construction and business sites.”
“The SAPS has and will continue to escalate the mobilisation of specialised resources to those provinces, where the nature and extent of the threat becomes difficult for the provincial SAPS capacity to address. This mobilisation includes a specialised investigation capacity and specialised visible policing units, with intention to stabilise the incidents of violence that are associated with the threat and add impetus to the project-driven investigations.”
In this regard, Mchunu said the SAPS recently significantly escalated its mobilisation of resources to the Eastern Cape province, in response to an engagement between the community of the OR Tambo District Municipality in Gqeberha and the Minister of Police. This mobilisation included a specialised investigation capacity, in addition to specialised visible policing units, which are intended to stabilise the incidence of violent crime that is associated with this threat.
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