A bloody police shootout in rural KwaZulu Natal has left a member of the National Intervention Unit (NIU) and eight suspected ATM bombers, dead.
The Mercury understands that police and private security personnel received information that a between 10 and 12 suspects were preparing to hit the Hammarsdale Hyper on Monday morning.
When officers from the Durban K9 Unit, the NIU and Magma Security swooped on them, the suspects allegedly opened fire and killed a policeman.
Authorities returned fired and killed eight suspects.
A number of firearms were recovered as were explosives, including detonators and gel guns.
Apparently one of the rifles that was recovered may be linked to a farm robbery in Illovo.
One of the suspects who was killed - and the man thought to have shot the policeman - was believed to work for a private security company.
Police were unavailable for comment at the time of publishing.