Two suspects have been arrested by members of Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) following the brutal murder of one of their officers in Riverhorse Valley outside Durban North.

The 33-year-old reaction officer was shot in the head and dumped in a manhole while on patrol at a business park on Friday morning. Back-up officers were dispatched to the scene after a pool of blood was discovered, after which the body of the deceased was located.

Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram said reaction officers interviewed several individuals, and a man known to the victim was identified as a possible suspect.

“Officers approached the individual who confirmed during an interview that he and an accomplice ambushed and shot the victim. They then removed the concrete cover from the manhole and dumped the reaction officer down the drain. They thereafter abandoned his golf cart approximately 100m away from the scene,” explained Balram.

He said the suspect was escorted to his accomplice’s room where a norinco 9mm pistol, believed to have been used in the murder, was recovered.

“The second suspect is a truck driver and was out on a delivery. Reaction officers concealed themselves in the premises until he returned. Heavily armed officers surrounded his truck and placed him under arrest,” he added.

Both suspects and the firearm were handed over to the Greenwood Park SAPS for further investigation.