Residents of Skalie Street in West Acres woke up to the terrifying sound of gunshots in the early morning of Saturday, October 8 when four men fired at the police.

The four have been identified as Mbuso Nkambule (37), Lebokgang Vuyisile Nkambule (25), Mfundo Sithole (33) and Tichoana Dijawela (36).

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Two of them appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, October 11 and face charges of attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and reckless driving. The other two are in hospital and appeared in absentia.

According to police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, the police were on patrol when they noticed a white VW Polo travelling at high speed. Police then followed the suspicious looking vehicle from the R40 to Graniet and Skalie streets.

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After a high-speed chase, the suspects were trapped in a cul-de-sac and started firing at the officers. In response, they fired back and a shoot-out ensued. The suspects ran out of ammunition and the police were able to arrest them.

Emergency services were called to the scene to stabilise three suspects who sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

“Three suspects were seriously wounded and taken to Rob Ferreira Hospital,” Martin Jeffrey of Emer-G-Med confirmed. The fourth suspect was not wounded.

Juandré Rautenbach, the chief of operations of Divergent Ops, also confirmed that they shared tracking information with the SAPS to determine where the vehicle was travelling two days prior to the incident. The information showed that the vehicle was moving from Barberton to Mbombela, then White River, before heading along the R37 towards Lydenburg.

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He also shared that the same suspects were arrested in May for an armed business robbery in Hazyview. The group is known for allegedly terrorising the community and are from Pienaar.
Monica Nyuswa, the spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority, confirmed that the case has been postponed to November 17 for a formal bail application.