The Hawks and Task Force members made a breakthrough on Sunday when they apprehended suspects for various cases, including murder and possession of unlicensed firearms, in the Ezakheni area.

Hawks members have been roped in to lead the investigation following a spate of political and taxi violence related killings in the province. On Sunday, an intelligence-driven operation was conducted in Ezakheni.

During the operation, five firearms and more than 120 assorted live rounds of ammunition were recovered.

The firearms include one R1 rifle, one R5 rifle, one shotgun and two 9mm pistols. The recovered firearms will be sent for ballistic testing to ascertain if they were used to commit any crime in the country.

Four of the arrested suspects, aged between 24 and 50, are believed to be involved in two separate murders.

In one of the incidents, on July 18, Khanyisile Ngobese, who was an ANC ward candidate, was fatally shot near the Leonardsville sports ground. In the second incident, on January 23, taxi owner Muhlawumbeni Zungu and other four passengers were shot at by unknown suspects. Zungu died on the way to hospital and other victims were taken to hospital for medical attention.

The arrested suspects were charged for possession of unlicensed firearms and will be further charged for murders. They are expected to appear in the Ladysmith Magistrate’s Court soon, facing charges of possession of unlicensed firearms. More arrests are imminent.

The National Head of Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza, applauded the officers for good work in arresting the suspects and the recovery of the illegal firearms. “We would also like to thank the community members who are providing valuable information to us. Hawks members vow to deal with all the hired hit-men around the country and there is no room for killers in our society,” he said.

(Original photograph removed as a civilian and his vehicle seen in the photo were in no way linked to the arrests.)