Six suspected criminals were shot and killed in a confrontation with police in Gcuwa (Butterworth), Eastern Cape, on Thursday afternoon.
Yanga ‘Bara’ Nyalara reportedly killed in shootout with EC police
Among them was allegedly Yanga “Bara” Nyalara, one of Cape Town’s most notorious criminal figures.
The shootout unfolded on the N2 near Ndabakazi village when officers from the National Intervention Unit (NIU)attempted to stop a suspicious vehicle without registration plates.
According to a police officer involved in the operation, the suspects opened fire on law enforcement, prompting officers to retaliate.
“They have been on [the] police radar for some time. I am sure they knew they were out of options,” the officer said.
Nyalara, originally from Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape, had been wanted for years on multiple violent crime charges but managed to evade conviction on numerous occasions.
His alleged criminal network stretched from the Eastern Cape to Cape Town, where he was linked to murders, extortion, armed robbery, and gang activity.
Although police have not officially named Nyalara as one of the deceased, sources close to the investigation confirmed his death. The case has been handed over to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) for further review, a standard procedure in police-involved shootings.
Who was Bara?
Yanga “Bara” Nyalara was one of Cape Town’s most feared and elusive criminals, implicated in multiple murders, robberies, gang-related activities, and extortion.
Despite being arrested more than 20 times, he largely escaped conviction due to witnesses either refusing to testify or being killed.
His most high-profile case involved a 2021 mass shooting in Khayelitsha, where 12 people were murdered. However, in November 2024, a Cape Town court acquitted him after the sole surviving witness, known as “Mr Z,” provided contradictory and unreliable testimony.
The acquittal, granted under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, meant that no one was held accountable for the massacre.
Even after this legal victory, Nyalara remained in custody on separate charges, including:
- Six counts of murder
- Attempted murder
- Business robbery
- Illegal possession of firearms
- Drug dealing
His notoriety only grew, with some viewing him as a feared gang leader, while others in Khayelitsha considered him a community figure. Following his acquittal, Nyalara made a cryptic social media post:
“Buy rat traps, the cat is coming,” suggesting he expected to be released on bail soon.
However, his criminal reign came to an apparent end in the Eastern Cape shootout. His reported death brings to a close a violent chapter in Cape Town’s underworld, though police continue to investigate whether his network remains active.
