Five suspects have been shot and killed and seven others were arrested after a shootout with police in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga.
It is believed that the group were on their way to rob a cash-in-transit vehicle.
Police say they thwarted the plan.
Police accosted the group who were travelling in a minibus taxi.
A shootout ensued and five suspects died on the scene.
Seven others were arrested.
Police confiscated multiple firearms that include rifles and ammunition.
Mariannhill shootout
Earlier today, KwaZulu-Natal police confirmed the fatal shooting of nine suspects wanted in connection with a series of violent crimes.
The confrontation with police, who are members of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Stabilization Team, occurred in Mariannhill, Durban, during the early hours of this morning.
According to provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda, the suspects were sought in connection with various crimes, including a case of rape where they allegedly gang-raped a girl and forced her mother to witness the assault during a house robbery.
Netshiunda says, “When police caught up with them, intelligence had uncovered that the suspects were looking to execute a hit on someone. Three firearms have so far been found and a search is still ongoing. A manhunt for the two other suspects is still under way.”
