Three suspected robbers were killed in Reservoir Hills, KwaZulu-Natal, during a shootout with police on Friday.
What we know about the Reservoir Hills shooting
The men were intercepted by officers during what police described as an intelligence-driven operation aimed at stopping a planned robbery.
According to authorities, the suspects allegedly opened fire upon being cornered, prompting police to return fire.
Two police officers sustained injuries in the exchange.
At the scene, law enforcement officials recovered two firearms and a small quantity of explosives, which they say were likely intended for use in the planned robbery.
The crime scene remained active into the afternoon, with officers continuing their investigation and collection of evidence. No information has been released yet about the identities of the deceased suspects or whether they were linked to other criminal cases.
KwaZulu-Natal has seen several police-involved shootings in recent months, with authorities often claiming the suspects fired first.
This trend has led to ongoing public and institutional concern, including from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), which monitors police conduct in South Africa.
IPID head Dikeledi Ntlatseng recently addressed these concerns during a media briefing.
She called on residents of KwaZulu-Natal to come forward with any information they may have regarding incidents involving police use of force.
Ntlatseng’s remarks follow a series of confrontations in which suspects were killed by police, raising questions about patterns of engagement between law enforcement and alleged criminals.
The shooting earlier in Pinetown
Earlier the same day, a separate police shooting occurred in Pinetown.
According to police, the incident involved a murder suspect who was being pursued by the Vala Umgodi unit, a task team focused on high-priority crimes.
The suspect was wanted in connection with a shooting that took place on Wednesday in Mariannhill, where one person was killed and another seriously injured.
Investigators believe the weapon used in the Mariannhill incident was taken from a previous murder victim in Inanda earlier this month. Officers approached the suspect’s residence in Pinetown and announced their presence, at which point the suspect allegedly fired at them from inside the house. Police returned fire, fatally wounding him. A firearm was recovered from the scene.
While police maintain that in both Reservoir Hills and Pinetown, the suspects initiated the gunfire, the frequency of fatal encounters has attracted national attention.
Between 30 July 2023 and 30 July 2024, police reportedly killed 107 suspected criminals in KwaZulu-Natal.
Swisher Post has sought responses from IPID regarding these incidents, but the watchdog has not yet replied.
