![Murder suspects shot dead by KZN SAPS [video]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesouthafrican.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F05%2Fpexels-pixabay-53224_optimized_100.jpg.optimal.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Murder suspects shot dead by KZN SAPS [video]
Watch the full version of the ' Five murder suspects killed in shootout with KZN SAPS' article – in a minute.
Five murder suspects were gunned down in a shootout with police at the Mophela area in Mpumalanga township, Hammarsdale in KwaZulu-Natal. The suspects were wanted for the murder of a man and his wife were gunned down on Sunday night, 11 May.
South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal Colonel Robert Netshiunda said police gathered intelligence about the suspects who were driving along the Mophela main road.
Netshiunda said police caught up with the suspects and signalled for them to stop. The suspects ignored police instructions and instead opened fire towards law enforcement officers.
'Police returned fire and during the shootout, five suspects were shot and fatally wounded. A thorough search was yet to be conducted inside the suspects' vehicle, however three firearms were found in the possession of the suspects.
The murder of suspects by KZN police has landed the province's top cop, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, in hot water in recent months. Many criminal analysts have criticised and questioned the crime-fighting approach.
Looking for quick updates?
Watch News in a Minute videos on The South African's YouTube page for all the key stories you need to know!
Catch all the latest videos on news, lifestyle, travel, sports and more – there's always something to watch!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky to stay connected and get your news on the go!

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Maverick
6 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Nafiz Modack convicted of corruption — trial for multiple murders continues
In 2011, alleged underworld figure Nafiz Modack paid a corrupt, high-ranking police official to recover his vehicles using state resources. Nearly 14 years later, the top cop's plea agreement was used to convict Modack of corruption charges. Alleged underworld figure Nafiz Modack has been acquitted on charges before, but for the first time on Friday, 6 June 2025, he was convicted by a court on corruption charges. The corruption occurred in 2011, and nearly 14 years later, thanks to a plea agreement by former Brigadier Kolindhren Govender, a court could convict Modack. Several cases, including the murder of late Anti-Gang Unit Lieutenant Colonel Charl Kinnear, remain to be resolved. Govender entered into a plea and sentencing agreement on 2 December 2019 and pleaded guilty to 51 counts of corruption and a count of contravening the South African Police Service Act. Among the reasons that this case took so long to resolve was that some of the final witnesses testified only last year. According to investigators, since Modack has been behind bars since April 2021, he no longer poses a threat to or can intimidate witnesses. The central point of this corrupt relationship was that Govender instructed police officers under his command to recover missing vehicles belonging to Modack. On Monday, 9 June, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Western Cape spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said police recovered vehicles, including two exotic vehicles, which were handed over to Modack without following due process. The NPA did not comment on how many vehicles were recovered through the corrupt scheme. None of the recovered vehicles, he added, were processed through SAPS records, nor were any police dockets or inquiries opened and registered in any of the incidents. At the time of the offence, Modack was the sole owner of the businesses AMG Auto and Peuxon Properties. Court papers dating back to the time of the corruption said: 'In and during November 2011 Brigadier Govender commenced accepting gratification from Modack. Regular payments in a total of R146,600 were paid to Govender in return for special treatment and favours.' Govender pleaded guilty to 51 charges of corruption that relate to a corrupt relationship he had with Modack. He was handed five years' imprisonment, of which four-and-a-half years were suspended. The sentence was ordered to run concurrently with the six-year sentence that was handed down on a different matter. Payments for special treatment Senior State prosecutor advocate Louis van Niekerk successfully argued that Brigadier Govender received R146,000 from the two firms' accounts between November 2011 and August 2013. Van Niekerk also contended that the 51 payments Modack made had no legitimate purpose. He stated: 'Modack made regular payments to Brigadier Govender as a high-ranking South African Police Service (SAPS) member in return for special treatment and favours. Police were not allowed to do private work or preferential work for members of the public. 'Members of the public were not allowed to reward members of the SAPS. Modack never gave statements for any of the recovered vehicles. There were no statements by the arresting officer. There were no SAP13 recordings. No dockets were registered. His version was that they were his vehicles,' Van Niekerk explained. The court concluded that, given the evidence in totality, Modack was guilty of corruption relating to the recovery of motor vehicles. The case has been postponed until 8 July 2025 for Modack's sentencing. Murder charges In another case, Modack is on trial for a range of charges, including multiple murders and attempted murders. He was arrested in April 2021 in connection with the murder of Kinnear. Kinnear was assassinated outside his house in Bishop Lavis in September 2020. At the time of his demise, he was investigating Modack. Modack and former rugby player and debt collector Zane Kilian are the two main accused in Kinnear's assassination. The State contends that they also conspired in an attempt to murder lawyer William Booth in April 2020. In that case, Modack and Kilian, with the other accused, are collectively facing 124 charges, including murder, attempted murder, corruption, gangsterism, extortion, the illegal interception of communications, money laundering and contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. Modack and his co-accused pleaded not guilty to the charges in January 2024. In March 2024, a State witness, who can be referred to only as 'Mr A' to protect his identity, implicated Modack as the person who allegedly ordered a hit on Nicolaas Heerschap, the father of Hawks officer Nico Heerschap. He said Modack told him he was proud of the hit. In January 2025, Western Cape High Court Judge Robert Henney dismissed several charges against Modack and his 14 co-accused, but not the principal charges of murder and attempted murder. Another pending case against Modack, his wife Rehana, and police officers is firearm licence fraud, which will be heard in Gauteng. In addition, Modack also faces charges in a massive tax fraud case involving more than R46-million, and his mother is allegedly the criminal enterprise's manager. Investigators told Daily Maverick that once all these cases had been concluded, Modack would be apprehended in connection with a probe into R50-million vehicle and property asset finance corruption. Another cop in Modack's web Modack had an alleged corrupt association with other police officers before Govender. Former AGU Sergeant Ashley Tabisher lost his job as a result of this alleged corrupt relationship with Modack. Tabisher faces charges of corruption for allegedly warning Modack about Anti-Gang Unit operations. It is alleged Tabisher received R10,000 from co-accused Amaal Jantjies. He was eventually released in December last year. Tabisher intends to bring an application to be acquitted on all charges. Furthermore, evidence presented in the Kinnear murder trial heard in the Western Cape High Court in April suggested that Modack was allegedly deceived by a middleman while trying to bribe former top cops Major General Jeremy Vearey and the late Kinnear. Modack's bank statements reveal that he made R600,000 in payments that he allegedly thought would go to Vearey and Kinnear. The payments were made for the return of his firearms that had been confiscated by the Anti-Gang Unit in 2017. Modack did not receive the confiscated firearms and Vearey, who had no involvement in the bribery scheme, did not receive a cent as Modack had apparently been duped by a middleman. DM

IOL News
9 hours ago
- IOL News
Pilot and two passengers on missing aircraft in KZN, confirmed dead
"We express our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased passengers," said MEC for Transport and Human Settlements in KZN, Siboniso Duma. "ARCC informed us that they will be handing over the matter to the South African Police Service's (SAPS) Accident and Incident Investigation Division and the South African Civil Aviation Authority for the official investigation. The aircraft , which left the Virginia Airport at around 3pm on the day was reportedly operated by a student pilot. The Pyper Cherokee aircraft that went missing on Sunday has been found. However, the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) has confirmed that all three passengers aboard, were found dead. The Pyper Cherokee aircraft with the registration of ZSKFB was last seen on Sunday. The aircraft took off from Virginia Airport, Durban, around 3pm and did not reach its intended destination. It was last tracked flying over Ladysmith, heading south towards either Pietermaritzburg or Greytown. Duma said they were informed by the ARCC that they would be handing over the matter to the SAPS's Accident and Incident Investigation Division and the South African Civil Aviation Authority for the official investigation. He said they were in communication with Zama Biyela, the mother of the late student pilot (Nqobile Biyela). "This is the most difficult period for her and the entire family. "Losing such a young great leader with a promising career in the aviation industry, under such circumstances, is not only tragic but devastating. "Officials from my office and Ayanda Msweli, the country's leading traffic anchor, are in touch with Biyela family and we will locate the other families to express our condolences, and we salute rescue teams for their display of efficiency." He singled out ARCC, SAPS Search and Rescue, Fire and Rescue Okhahlamba, Search and Rescue Zone Association, KZN Provincial EMS, Hamnet, ER24, Netcare911, Berg Flying, Greytown G911, Umboti Community Services, MTN and the Bhanoyi Airfield Estate for their efforts in the search mission. Meanwhile, Duma said his department had announced plans in April, through guidance from the aviation industry and the Economic Regulations for Transport Act, regarding major work being done at various airports in the province like Margate, Oribi, Umkhuze, Richards Bay and Virginia Airports. "We are currently harmonising our work with relevant departments such as SA Aviation Authority, Airport Company of South Africa, Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs," he said. Additional Reporting: DAILY NEWS REPORTER


Daily Maverick
9 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
After the Bell: Scamming is a big business — be alert and make sure you're safe
The world is awash with people trying to steal your assets. Even big-name investors have been duped. Be careful out there. I am sure that whatever money you have wasn't easy to get – you and your family worked really hard for it. But have you ever noticed how so many people are trying to steal it from you? There are some days when it seems that literally everyone is out to take it. So often, there is a news report of someone who has fleeced people of their money. The latest was a News 24 report about Mark Kretzschmar, who claimed he could make money for people and who was able to run away with about R30-million. Moneyweb has done important reporting about the company Kleuterzone and its founder, former singer Anthonie Bougas. He now appears to be in Thailand, but is not paying the money owed to investors. Like so many of these cases, he makes certain claims that always amount to the same thing: someone else is responsible, not him. If you have been paying attention to this sort of thing, you will know about Banxso, which was a scam from the start. There are so many ways our society enables this. For a start, regulators find it tough to take any action, or to do it early enough to stop people from losing their money. I have some sympathy for the Financial Sector Conduct Authority here. I mean, no one will complain about losing their money until they've lost it. And by that point, it is usually too late. This means that in some cases, a group of people are giving money to someone, all at the same time, and it's only when one of them realises it's gone that they lodge a complaint. There would have to be an investigation of some kind, and only after that can the FSCA say anything. But I have no time at all for the digital platforms that allow themselves to be used to market these thieves. For several months, there were videos on YouTube of SABC TV presenters supposedly talking about a new investment product. Elon Musk was another who was deep-faked. Now, YouTube e arns more than $30-billion in revenue every year. Is it too much to ask that it does some checking to see if it is taking money from a thief? And to have a proper complaints mechanism where a TV presenter who is being deep-faked can make sure her image is removed immediately? I do wonder how much revenue for YouTube is from simple scams, whether it be a lose-your-money-quick scheme, or that guy who clearly can't sleep at night because he's so worried about my belly fat. If this has happened to you, you shouldn't think it was because you were stupid. Recently, big-name investors, including Sanlam Investments and Old Mutual Alternative Investments, lost up to R700-million after being conned by a company called Enable Capital. The Public Investment Corporation lost another R100-million in the same scam. The person behind it, Reuben Oliphant, seems to have… you guessed it… disappeared. And sometimes, someone appears to have almost found a way to scam someone out of their money legally. Last week, the JSE publicly censured Iqbal Surve's AYO Technology Solutions and issued a suspended fine of R500,000. This was because AYO had withheld information from shareholders about its settlement with the PIC that involved it re-purchasing some of its shares. But it seems the people, sorry person, behind AYO will get away with it. Much of the money the PIC put into AYO through its investment was taken out in the form of dividends. Dividends that make no sense compared with what the company has actually produced. As a result, the money is gone. The PIC will never get it back and someone has clearly benefited. The real poison of this kind of thing is that it makes the scheme look almost legitimate. In a society where so few understand how markets, capital and investments work, it's easy to simply think people are rich because they were born rich – or because they stole their money from someone else. This kind of incident, where someone can literally lie to shareholders (thus possibly depriving them of money) and get away with it, will consolidate that view. Scamming is now big business. In Myanmar alone, there are thought to be around 150,000 people being held against their will in what amounts to prison camps, and forced to try to scam people online. Just think about that number for a moment. It is simply unbelievable how big this industry has become. To run prison camps for that many people requires capital. They wouldn't do it if they weren't making serious cash out of it. Can you imagine the nightmare of being a person who has been, you guessed it, scammed into going there, and finding themselves in one of these camps? I'm not qualified to tell you how to keep your money safe. But please. Please, please, please, make sure that you do. DM