Durban - Vehicle tracking company Altech Netstar says members of the SANDF opened fire on its vehicle on the KwaZulu-Natal border with Mozambique on Monday night, describing the shooting as “an ambush”.
Police spokesman Jay Naicker said a case of attempted murder had been registered at the Manguzi police station.
Altech Netstar managing director Harry Louw was quoted on Eyewitness News as saying that “all four people were assaulted afterwards”, referring to occupants of the Netstar vehicle and an SAPS vehicle that was also fired on.
The SANDF confirmed on Tuesday that its members had fired shots at the two vehicles. They had been following two stolen vehicles that had crossed into Mozambique.
Brigadier-General Xolani Mabanga alleged that the soldiers signalled for the drivers to stop, but they continued to approach and the SANDF members opened fire, shooting the tyres and stopping the vehicles.
Mabanga alleged that no signage or form of identity was visible on either the Netstar or SAPS vehicle.
The occupants of the vehicles were apprehended by the military police.
Louw said:
“That’s the way these recoveries are done and as long as we have the SAPS with us it has never been an issue. It was a huge shock to the two agents and it really was an ambush and not a roadblock.”
Naicker said that the SAPS and Netstar had been chasing two vehicles hijacked at Mbazwana, just north of the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park.
“Police at Manguzi were informed and together with members of a tracking company they chased these vehicles,” he said.
“It is alleged that at Gate 6 members of the SANDF opened fire on police and members of the tracking company. The tracking company vehicle had 16 bullet holes.”
Nobody was injured. The incident would be investigated.
The Mercury