Durban - Hilton residents say they have become hostages in their homes following a spate of violent break-ins carried out by a heavily armed gang who police tracked down and killed this week
On Wednesday at about 2am, tyres screeched along Dennis Shepstone Road during a high-speed chase which resulted in the exchange of gunfire and led to the deaths of Siyabonga Mfeka, 24, Ntobeko Msane, 29, Thuso Khawula, 26, Sthabiso Ngcobo, 27, and Thokozani Khanyile, 31, all believed to be from Pietermaritzburg. The five men all died in the car during the chase.
Police reacted after receiving a tip-off about a silver Mercedes-Benz with occupants suspected to be on their way to commit a robbery.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Major Thulani Zwane said five unlicensed firearms were recovered.
“The members spotted a suspicious vehicle on Dennis Shepstone Road and the suspects started to fire at police.
“They gave chase and the vehicle turned on to another road, with the occupants still firing at the police.
“One policeman was shot in the chin and taken to hospital for medical attention where he is reported to be in a stable condition.”
Zwane said preliminary investigations at the scene revealed that the vehicle had been hijacked in Newlands East last August.
He said the deaths of the five men were being investigated by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
Ipid spokesperson Moses Dlamini confirmed that Ipid was investigating the deaths as a result of police action.
A Hilton SAPS police officer, who is not authorised to speak to the media, said the criminals were armed with a .38 pistol, two Norinco firearms and a Z88, a former police service pistol, which had been sent for ballistic testing.
A resident who lives near the scene and who did not want to be named, said she had just locked away her horses in the stable when she heard gunshots.
“The security guard and I had just put the horses away after they had broken loose. The guard went to the gate to check what was happening.
“The police and the gang were exchanging gunshots, so he walked away in fear of being shot by a stray bullet.
“The gunshots went on for about 10 minutes with about 15 rounds being fired,” she said.
The woman said that at about 6am a helicopter hovered above the scene while the road was cordoned off, which affected her movement as she was stuck in the house.
“But never mind that, it was a police success story. The gang has been terrorising the community for a long, long time,” she said.
With four recent housebreakings in Hilton, two of which were successful and two attempted, and an average of 15 burglaries a month in the area, the Hilton Community Policing Forum says residents have had enough.
Hilton Community Policing Forum chairperson Mdu Mjwara said residents were living in constant fear of not knowing when the criminals would strike next.
He said the shooting incident this week was bound to happen after the Hilton area had become a soft target for criminals.
“We live in fear as a community and it is actually getting out of hand. We are hostages in our own homes.
“They use garden spades, forks and grinders to force entry into houses. We live in hope that when criminals pounce on our homes, our families are not there to face horror and torture at the hands of the criminals.
“We have become prisoners in our own territory,” Mjwara said.