Durban - The Directorate for Priority Crime (the Hawks) has linked five men killed in a shoot-out in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday to two murders, police said in a statement on Tuesday.
Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, said the shoot-out happened on the N2 freeway between Port Shepstone and Shelly Beach.
"The DPCI members were following up information on a dangerous group of armed robbers that was travelling in a vehicle from the Eastern Cape towards Durban. The driver of the vehicle ignored warnings to stop, instead the occupants allegedly opened fire on the members, resulting in a shoot-out and a high speed chase".
He said the men have been linked to two cases of murder and robbery in Mpumalanga and Marian Hill in Durban.
The Hawks recovered one assault rifle (AK47), two unlicensed 9mm pistols, several cellphones and an undisclosed amount of cash.