Staff Reporter.
Five suspects have been killed and three more wounded following a high-speed chase on the N2 in KwaZulu-Natal, early on Wednesday morning.
It is alleged that a gang of about eight men travelling in two vehicles had been intercepted by local security companies and police.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said the suspects loaded stolen items in the two vehicles before fleeing the scene.
“Fortunately, a security company from the Empangeni area picked up on this and alerted all other role players and they followed this vehicle.”
Naicker said as the suspects approached the Tongaat toll plaza they were intercepted by the police and the security companies.
“There was a shootout between the suspects and the security companies as well police officers. In both instances, the suspects lost control of their vehicle. Altogether, five suspects have died at both scenes. Two of them are seriously injured in hospital, one is in police custody.”
Naicker says police recovered a number of firearms and equipment used to break into homes and businesses.
In a separate incident, the KwaZulu-Natal Hawks members tasked to investigate Covid-19 fraud cases arrested eight suspects, aged between 22 and 53, for fraud, corruption and money laundering.
It is alleged that two of the arrested suspects are directors of the companies that applied for Temporary Employee Relief Scheme for their employees.
Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo said the suspects allegedly added names of employees who did not work for their companies. The Department of Labour suffered a loss of more than R2.4 million due to this fraud.