Nine suspects were shot and fatally wounded during a shootout with KwaZulu-Natal police at Desai in Mariannhill in the early hours of Wednesday.
Police officers, who are members of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Stabilisation Team, operationalised intelligence about a group of 11 suspects, who have been terrorising the residents of Mariannhill and the surrounding areas.
The suspects were also sought in connection with a case of rape, where they allegedly gang raped a girl during a house robbery. They were also on the police's radar for serious and violent crimes in the area.
When police caught up with the suspects, intelligence had uncovered that the suspects were plotting to execute a hit on someone.
Four firearms, one of them a rifle, have so far been found in the possession of the suspects. A manhunt for two outstanding suspects is underway.
Although the police were ambushed when they erroneously knocked at the wrong house, the tactically astute officers managed to retaliate and neutralise the threat with none of them suffering any injuries. – SAnews.gov.za
