1 Suspect Killed in Shootout With KZN Police, 1 Arrested After Alleged Witchcraft Killings

• A suspect was killed in a gunfight with KZN cops, and another was arrested earlier for alleged witchcraft murders
• The men had allegedly accosted and killed one of the suspects' father and stepmother a day earlier in Ophondweni
• The suspect in custody will appear in court soon, while police are on the hunt for more suspects amid imminent arrests

DURBAN — Another suspect has been killed in a police shootout in KwaZulu-Natal following a confrontation near Chatsworth on Thursday.

Police had earlier arrested one suspect for torture and double murder after a high-speed chase on the N2 southbound near the KwaMashu off-ramp.

Murder and robbery suspect killed in shootout

That led investigators to a second suspect who was wanted in connection with the same crimes. KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said he was found at an informal settlement in Welbedacht.

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"Once he saw the officers, the suspect fired shots towards them, and a shootout ensued. They returned fire, shooting and killing him," said Netshiunda.

According to Netshiunda, the two men had gone to the Ophondweni area in Ingwavuma on Wednesday night, 11 September, where they allegedly tortured and shot dead the arrested suspect's father and stepmother.

He said the suspects were alleged izinkabi (murder-for-hire hitmen).

"They've been linked with murder, armed and cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies in [various parts of KZN]. The motive for killing the parents of the arrested suspect is linked to an inyanga who'd identified them as the cause for the son’s misfortunes. The traditional healer alleged that the father, also an inyanga (traditional doctor), had bewitched the son," said Netshiunda.

The suspect in custody is expected to appear in court soon, while others are being sought as more arrests are imminent.

Source: Briefly News