5 Murder Suspects Killed in Deadly Shootout With SAPS in KwaZulu-Natal

• Five suspects were shot and killed in a shootout with the South African Police Service in KwaZulu-Natal
• The incident happened on 11 May 2205 after police searched for the suspects who allegedly killed a 66-year-old man
• The suspects were also allegedly linked to the murder of two police officers, and South Africans weighed in

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered criminal activities, cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, police investigations, police shootouts and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

ETHEKWINI, KWAZULU-NATAL — Five suspects lost their lives when they were involved in a shootout with the South African Police Service (SAPS) on 11 May 2025 in Hammarsdale in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.

5 suspects killed in Hammarsdale

eNCA journalist Dasen Thathiah posted an update on his @DasenThathiah X account. The five suspects were wanted for allegedly killing a 66-year-old man in his home at Ekwandeni on 3 May 2025. They also allegedly killed his wife in February and were wanted in connection with the murder of two police officers.

The police received information about the men's whereabouts. They tracked them and stopped them along the Mophela Road in Hammaradale. The police instructed them to stop and surrender, and they reportedly responded with gunfire. The police returned fire, and all five of them were killed during the exchange.

Deadly shootouts with SAPS officers

Police in KwaZulu-Natal shot and killed two wanted suspects in Mariannhill on 2 October 2025 after confronting them at their hideout

• Two wanted suspects linked to a family massacre were gunned down on 8 October, and an unidentified woman who was in the suspects' car was killed in the crossfire
• Eight suspects who were allegedly planning to rob a spaza shop were killed in a shootout with Richards Bay police
• The police in KwaZulu-Natal revealed in December that over 120 alleged criminals were killed in gun battles with the men and women in blue in the past 12 months
• Police in the Eastern Cape shot and killed seven suspects on the N2 near Gcuwa on 20 February 2025, and one of Cape Town's most wanted gangsters was among those who were killed

South Africans discuss the shootout

Netizens commenting on Thathiah's tweet shared their views on the shootout.

Jacques Prinsloo said:

"Stories like this underscore the importance of effective intelligence gathering and community cooperation in addressing violent crime. Unfortunately, the impact on affected families and the community extend far beyond the headlines."

Papas asked:

"What was the line of work for the man killed last week? Did they come for both him and his wife? A taxi boss, maybe?"

Dorothy O'Neill said:

"Sounds like the suspects were guns for hire. Hopefully, SAPS finds some evidence leading to their clients."

6 CIT suspects killed in Laudium shootout

In a related article, Briefly News reported that six cash-in-transit heist suspects were shot and killed in a shootout with the police in Laudium, Tshwane, in February. The suspects were reportedly on their way to commit a heist when the police stopped them.

The men and women in blue exchanged gunfire with the suspects. Six were killed, a seventh was arrested, and others escaped the scene.

Source: Briefly News