Three suspects have been arrested and will appear in the Bergville Magistrate’s Court later this week on charges on murder and attempted murder and possession of illegal firearms.

The three men aged between 23 and 27 were arrested by Upper Tugela SAPS and Upper Tugela Borderline Control after two men were killed and a woman seriously injured after shots were fired at them.

According to police spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker, the two men, believed to be taxi owners, and the woman were seated in a bakkie in Dukuza at about 7.40am today.

“Three gunmen drove up in a Toyota Corolla and opened fire on the occupants of the bakkie. Two of the men were shot and killed whilst a woman sustained serious injuries,” commented Col Naicker.

Community members who witnessed the shooting immediately reported the incident to police and within minutes police officers located and pulled over the vehicle the suspects were travelling in.

“Three suspects were immediately arrested. The vehicle used in the crime and three firearms as well as ammunition was seized. The firearms consisted of a R5 rifle and two 9mm pistols. The serial numbers on all three firearms had been filed off,” said Col Naicker.
One of the suspects is believed to be a police officer based in Gauteng.

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni applauded police for swiftly responding to the shooting which led to the arrests and seizure of firearms.

“We commend the community for assisting in the apprehension of the criminals. This is a demonstration of the success of community policing which is a partnership between police and the community to curb crime. We will profile these suspects to determine if they can be linked to other crimes. The seized firearms will be subjected to ballistic tests to establish if they were used in the commission of these murders and other crimes in the country,” she said.