Residents of Lindelani in Ntuzuma are in shock after eight gunmen killed three people in an attempted robbery at a pension pay point.
|||Durban - Residents of Lindelani in Ntuzuma are in shock after eight gunmen killed three people in an attempted robbery in the township outside Durban.
According to police spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane the incident took place as pensioners were lined up for their payouts at the Ntuzuma A Hall at around 8am yesterday.
“They tried to rob the Fidelity guards who had brought the money. Gunfire was exchanged between the security guards and the suspects; two guards were shot and killed while a third one was hit by a car driven by the suspects while he was trying to shoot at them. An elderly woman who had come to receive her pension money was also shot and killed,” said Zwane.
No money was taken from the scene and one 37-year-old suspect was later apprehended by members of the local policing forum and is in custody for questioning. Three shotguns and three LM4 automatic assault rifles and a stolen Toyota Corolla were recovered.
According to Mbuyiselwa Sibiya, ward councillor in Ntuzuma, the community was in shock. This was the first time this had happened.
“This is very worrying because we have never had people attempting to rob our pensioners… these people are disgusting and we hope they will be caught quickly,” said Sibiya.
The ANC in the province also condemned the attack with provincial spokesman Senzo Mkhize calling for increased security at pension payout points.
“The ANC strongly condemns this ferocious incident and commends the police for their swift response that led to the arrest of one suspect. We urge Sassa to strengthen the security measures at all pay points in the province to prevent similar incidents from happening,” said Mkhize in a statement.
KZN Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni called on members of the community with any information to come forward.
“We are confident that the rest of the suspects will also be arrested soon and face the full might of the law for the violent crimes they have committed. We urge the public to inform the police of the suspects’ whereabouts by contacting their nearest police station or Crime Stop,” said Ngobeni.
Independent on Saturday