Durban - Five alleged hitmen, arrested in Cato Manor on Thursday last week, are expected to apply for bail next month.
Sandile Mkhize, Siboniso Ngobese, Fano Phahla, Fanele Khuzwayo and Sanele Mkhize appeared in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Monday where magistrate Ashwin Singh remanded them in custody until April 11. Police have to still conduct an identity parade.
The accused face charges related to being in possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of two AK47 rifles and rounds of ammunition.
The men were intercepted by police after a member of the community sounded the alarm over suspicious looking occupants driving around the area.
"Police called for back-up and the suspects were cornered on Montille Road. Four suspects who were travelling in two vehicles were arrested and two AK 47 assault rifles were found in one of the vehicles.
“One vehicle attempted to speed off but was outsmarted by the police who managed to stop it a few kilometres from the original scene where the fifth suspect was arrested. Police are hot on the heels of the sixth suspect," said provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Jay Naicker.
He said preliminary investigations have revealed that one of the vehicles was reported hijacked by four knife-wielding suspects in Inanda in March 2023.
"They were allegedly on a mission to assassinate a prominent individual," Naicker said.
IOL