The South African Police Service (SAPS), in the Eastern Cape confirmed that a 48-year-old man who was shot dead near Blacky’s tavern which is also well known as eSicikweni was a suspect wanted for triple murders in Tsolo. According to the police report Mthatha based National Intervention Unit (NIU) members were called to back up OR Tambo Investigation Task Team to arrest the man at around 09h20 after a tip off. It was reported that this man was driving his Mahindra bakkie from Tsolo direction towards Slovo Park in the company of a woman who escaped the scene unharmed during the shootout.
The police further reported that police spotted the suspect’s vehicle at Slovo Park-Mthatha immobilized it and the suspect got out of his bakkie and started shooting at the police and police retaliated, fatally wounding the suspect. A report further said a 9mm pistol with an erased serial number having ammunition was found from the possession of the deceased. It was also reported that the man met his death whilst he was on his way to a well-known Mthatha West inyanga for cleansing.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Ngqeleni, Tactical Response Team (TRT) members were following up on information of three armed men in a Toyota Tazz vehicle at Nomadolo locality in Ngqeleni. According to the police spokesperson Captain Welile Matyolo police spotted the suspect’s vehicle and on stopping it, the suspects ran in different directions and started shooting at police who shot back, fatally wounding all three male suspects. He said police recovered one Short-gun with six shells and a spent one, two pistols with erased serial numbers, a total of seven live pistols cartridges, one rifle cartridge, thirteen Babybrown cartridges with the suspect’s vehicle impounded for further investigation.
