4 Suspects Killed in SAPS Shootout in Riverlea, South Africans Discuss

• The South African Police Service was involved in a fatal shootout with suspects after they allegedly committed a business robbery
• The shootout happened in Johannesburg, hours after the robbery allegedly took place in the heart of the CBD
• Netizens commented on the incident, and many joked that KwaZulu-Natal Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi inspired them

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

JOHANNESBURG — The South African Police Service tracked down a group of alleged robbers in Johannesburg on 13 July 2025, and the confrontation became deadly.

What happened in Johannesburg?

According to SABC News, the police conducted an intelligence-driven operation after a group of thugs repeatedly robbed a business in the Johannesburg Central Business District. The officers followed the intelligence, and it led them to the suspects, who were driving a Red Kia.

The police tried to stop the suspects, but they opened fire. The police returned fire, and in the exchange, four people were shot. Three were killed on the scene, and a fourth was declared dead. The police recovered two unlicensed firearms and stolen items.

Recent shootings in South Africa

• Five suspects were shot and killed near Chesterville in KwaZulu-Natal in April 2025 after the police hunted the suspects down for a string of cash-in-transit heists in the province
• The police in Gauteng teamed up with the police in KZN and shot and killed two heist suspects in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, on 17 May 2025
• The police shot and killed five suspects in two separate incidents in Inanda on 20 June
• Six suspects were shot and killed in the Eastern Cape in a shootout with the police on 23 June, and one of them was a taxi boss
• Two cash-in-transit robbers were killed in a shootout in Msinga in KwaZulu-Natal on 4 July

What did South Africans say?

Netizens commenting on Facebook shared their views on the shooting.

Lydia Maroga said:

"It's called the Mkhwanazi effect."

Murumpisi wa MoAfrika said:

"I am shocked that Gauteng police can shoot. I thought they only knew how to sign affidavits."

Azania Nozwelethu Mzalwana said:

"Mkhwanazi said there can never be peace between a police officer and criminals."

Mandlakayisomkhulu Mthombeni WamaTembe KaSifunda said:

"They must be saints, dying on a Sunday."

Maleho Mocsdo Cadillac Kgatlhane said:

"Suddenly, they are pulling up their socks. I'm shocked. Respect General Mkhwanazi."

Police launch manhunt

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the police in KwaZulu-Natal launched a manhunt for suspects who robbed a cash-in-transit vehicle on 32 March 2025. The incident happened on the M25 in KwaMashu near the City of eThekwini.

A video of the incident went viral, and it showed how they attached explosives to it and detonated it. They then made off with an undisclosed amount of money in two different vehicles.

Source: Briefly News