Five suspects were fatally shot by police officers in two separate gun battles in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday, 20 June 2025.
Inanda police shootout ends in five suspects killed
These incidents form part of a recent series of confrontations between police and wanted criminals in the province, during which no officers were injured.
In the first incident, law enforcement officers followed up on intelligence regarding a suspect wanted for multiple serious crimes, including one count of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and a business robbery.
The suspect was located along the Etafuleni main road. Upon being approached, the man opened fire on the police, leading to a shootout. He was shot and fatally wounded. A firearm was recovered from the scene.
Later the same day, police acted on further intelligence related to a group of suspects believed to be involved in various crimes, including murder, attempted murder, and house robberies around Inanda.
Officers located the suspects at a set of cottages on Dr Langalibalele Road. When the police arrived, the suspects started shooting.
Officers returned fire. Four suspects were killed in the exchange. Three firearms were found in their possession. Police confirmed that all the recovered firearms had their serial numbers removed, a tactic commonly used to prevent tracing.
In another incident also reported on 20 June in the Ogunjini area of KwaZulu-Natal, a robbery suspect was shot dead by an off-duty security guard. The suspect had allegedly tried to ambush the guard while he was walking home.
The guard, who had recently been robbed in the same area, was carrying his licensed firearm for protection.
According to the private security company Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), the deceased suspect had used a toy gun during the attempted robbery. RUSA confirmed the incident took place at approximately 20:19 and that the guard was unharmed.
A separate shooting on Thursday, 19 June, in Umzinto, resulted in the death of a 27-year-old suspect linked to nearly twenty murders and other crimes including drug trafficking and cash-in-transit robberies.
According to police, they had tracked him to Malibu Drive with the help of crime intelligence units and attempted to arrest him.
He allegedly opened fire and was killed in the return gunfire. An unlicensed firearm was found at the scene.
Law enforcement authorities said these operations demonstrate ongoing efforts to clamp down on violent crime in KwaZulu-Natal and remove unlicensed firearms from circulation.