KZN SAPS tally their successes in tackling cash heists, mass killings, GBV and political killings

Durban — The arrests of tens of thousands of suspects for various crimes along with the recovery of drugs and firearms, among others, formed part of SAPS provincial commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s update on the province’s stability, crime analysis, arrests, detection performance, shoot-outs and progress on high-profile cases.

On Friday, Mkhwanazi held a press briefing where he reflected on the state of policing in the province.

Mkhwanazi said that from April 1 to date, 35 145 suspects have been arrested for various crimes. A total of 11 192 of them were arrested for contact crimes, which include murders, rapes and assaults. Along with the arrests, 953 firearms and several thousand rounds of ammunition were recovered.

“During targeted and intelligence-led operations, 665 stolen and hijacked vehicles were recovered and 1 966kg of an assortment of drugs worth millions of rand were recovered,” Mkhwanazi said.

“This includes a drug lab which was dismantled at Umgeni Park in June this year, as well as the R8 million worth of cocaine bricks which were recovered in Pietermaritzburg recently.”

Mkhwanazi said they have measures and strategies to combat violent crimes such as murders and armed robberies. They also established task teams that have been attaining notable results.

“From April to date, the province has experienced 17 cash-in-transit robberies and police managed to foil five more which were planned. Five suspects were arrested and three have been convicted. Ten suspected cash-in-transit robbers were shot and fatally wounded in a shoot-out with police,” Mkhwanazi said.

“Talking about shoot-outs, at least 31 suspects were shot and fatally wounded in a shoot-out with police from April 2024 to date.”

Mkhwanazi said this includes the nine suspects in Mariannhill, four in Harding, four in Camperdown, and four in Sydenham this past Wednesday. Two were shot in each shoot-out incident in Wentworth, Klaarwater (Mariannhill), and Phoenix. One suspect each came out second best in Hillcrest, Umbumbulu, Inanda (Lusaka) and Isipingo where a police officer also sustained a gunshot wound.

Mkhwanazi said these were hardened criminals who were found in possession of firearms, some of them large-calibre rifles.

He said that police investigate to arrest the suspects and take them through the justice system. However, if suspects shoot at police officers and put their lives in danger, police will retaliate with proportional force to save their lives and those of innocent community members.

Mkhwanazi said KZN was also affected by mass killings in the first quarter of this year.

“Seven incidents were noted in which three or more people were killed at once,” Mkhwanazi said.

“These include the shooting of eleven people inside a bakkie in Ezakheni where six people were killed, four injured and one escaped unharmed.”

Mkhwanazi said the Provincial Taxi Violence Unit took over the investigation and they await ballistic results for a possible linkage with two Ekuvukeni cases where suspects have been arrested.

“Investigations are ongoing on other mass murders, such as the killing of three people in a suspected taxi-related violence at Nhlungwane area in Inanda, the murder of three men and the attempted murder of three women who were travelling in a stolen vehicle at Esihlabeni in Muden on election day, as well as the shooting of five family members where three died and two survived in Umzinto,” Mkhwanazi said.

He said police worked around the clock to arrest Chong Cheng, who shot and killed fellow foreign nationals at a house in Durban North where he killed one woman and injured four others. He was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport as he attempted to flee the country.

Speaking on successes, Mkhwanazi said detectives continue to crack cases and as much as they still need to improve their detection rate, notable successes were achieved:

• The suspects who burned 12 people to death in Taylor’s Halt were arrested. Thorough investigations ensured that three accused persons were found guilty and sentenced to 12 life terms each plus a combined 105 years in jail.
• Zwelakhe Nene, 48, was sentenced to three life terms plus 30 years for killing three people and the attempted murders of three others in Mid Illovo over a family feud.
• A 38-year-old man was sentenced to five life terms plus six years for murdering his fiancée and raping his two biological daughters at KwaNyuswa.
• Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences detectives also secured 12 life imprisonment terms and a further 75 years behind bars for Bhekithemba Fanozi Khumalo, who was found guilty for a string of rape cases in the Mdungandlovu Reserve and the surrounding areas.

Mkhwanazi added that KZN is known as an area where politically motivated killings are at a high. However, since its establishment in 2018, the Political Killings Task Team has made notable progress and cracked several cases.

“Three hundred and thirty-one cases where 171 people were killed have been allocated to the Task Team. Of the murdered people were 57 councillors, 57 political party members, 30 political party office-bearers, 26 municipal officials and one security officer,” Mkhwanazi said.

• Three hundred and sixty-nine suspects were arrested and charged. One hundred and thirteen of them are still in custody, 41 are out on bail whereas 17 are now dead.
• One hundred and 10 accused people were found guilty in 99 cases and were sentenced, while 32 were found not guilty. Fifty-three firearms have thus far been recovered and have been linked with 59 politically related cases. Among those convicted are those who ordered the hits on others, and those who executed the murder.
• In April, the mandate of the Political Killings Task Team was extended to include murders related to traditional leadership. The team wasted no time in arresting a suspect for the murder of Inkosi Mlaba, who was killed in Camperdown. Two suspects were also arrested and charged with the murder Induna Mtshali, who was killed in Weenen.

Mkhwanazi also said that from April to date, 25 police officers of various ranks have been dismissed for various misconducts and criminal activities, including a colonel who was shown the door after being convicted of falsifying records.

“Since April to date, 608 protest actions have been policed by our Public Order Policing officers. Ninety-five of those protests were violent unrest and most of them were in eThekwini, Ugu and uMgungundlovu districts.”

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