Eastern Cape Police Shoot, Kill 7 Suspects in Butterworth Shootout on N2
- Seven heavily armed suspected criminals were shot and killed in a gun battle with police on the N2 near Gcuwa
- The National Intervention Unit (NIU) acted on a tip-off about the group's movement in cars loaded with guns
- IPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping told Briefly News the directorate was investigating the police shootout
- Police spokesperson Lt-Col Siphokazi Mawisa told Briefly News the suspects needed to be formally identified
Source: Twitter
Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist at Briefly News. A Head of Current Affairs, Mametela reported live from the presidential inauguration of Cyril Ramaphosa and has written articles on politics, crime, courts, accidents and other topics, including sports, at The Herald and Opera News SA, among others.
BUTTERWORTH — Police shot and killed seven heavily armed suspects, including notorious Cape Town gangster Yanga "Bara" Nyalara, in an intense gun battle outside Gcuwa.
Law enforcement recovered multiple firearms in the resultant shootout on the N2 near Ndabakazi at about 2.30pm on Thursday, 20 February 2025.
Eastern Cape cops mow down 7
Police received information about the group's alleged activities, with the National Intervention Unit (NIU) operationalising the intelligence and tracking two vehicles loaded with firearms after the group left Cofimvaba.
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"Officers spotted the cars and ordered them to stop them, and the suspects sped off. A high-speed pursuit ensued and additional resources were deployed to tail the suspects," said spokesp[erson Lt-Col Siphokazi Mawisa.
Mawisa said the suspects allegedly opened fire at the police chasers between Ndabakazi and Gcuwa.
Police, who initially reported six dead suspects, later confirmed that a seventh had been killed and his body recovered from a river bank after crashing while trying to flee, having sustained gunshot wounds.
Officers recovered four AK47s and two pistols.
"Officers retaliated and, on investigation, found six people fatally wounded. This increased to seven suspects after a body was retrieved from the river. A [subsequent] search led to the recovery of the firearms," said Mawisa.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesperson Phaladi Shuping told Briefly News the directorate was investigating the case.
Within hours of the shooting, it was widely reported that one of the suspects killed was Nyalara, a well-known and feared alleged extortion kingpin.
However, Mawisa told Briefly News at the time:
"Police cannot confirm that as the deceased are not yet identified."
When asked about the number of confiscated firearms, she said:
"On further investigation, police will check [whether the] firearms were licensed and how many firearms [there were]."
Source: Twitter
A notorious criminal, Nyalara operated in Khayelitsha, though his birthplace is reportedly Cofimvaba.
He has had numerous run-ins with the law. At the time of his reported death, he had one conviction, three pending cases and numerous withdrawals, allegedly as witnesses were too scared to testify or were killed.
Feared taxi boss, alleged extortion kingpin
Nyalara was notably linked to a brutal murder spree in Khayelitsha, a massacre in which an initial 12 people were killed on 15 May 2021.
The incident rocked the Western Cape.
It followed the killing of one of Nyalara’s associates. Then, after Sikhumbule Nonki's execution-style killing, Nyalara swore revenge.
Later, Nyalara, residing in Brown’s Farm in Philippi, was charged with 18 murders, six attempted murders, and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, among others, as he appeared alongside three co-accused.
Subsequent reports suggested that the majority of the Site B murders related to Khayelitsha gangs vying for a slice of an extortion ring.
The rival organised groups controlling the ring were "Boko Haram" and "Guptas" — a splinter of the former. The two were later linked to the May 2021 bloodshed.
Nyalara was linked to various criminal activities, with over 20 cases, including extortion, murder and attempted murder, later withdrawn.
He would not face prosecution for those crimes, remaining a free man, who, amid his alleged organised criminal activities, demanded money from businesses under the threat of violence or disruption
Cops' gunfight with thugs goes viral
In a related story, Briefly News reported that a similar police shootout played out in Nelson Mandela Bay in December 2024.
An adrenalin-pumping video showed the police catching up to the suspects in a Gqeberha township and a heavy exchange of gunfire ensuing.
The @VehicleTrackerz X page posted the clip of the chaotic scenes as a squad of cop cars pulled into the area near an open veld.
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Source: Briefly News
