Durban – Three suspects were arrested with firearms and hijacked vehicles in Durban on Saturday, and it is believed that they could have been in the area to execute a hit.
Police said a good relationship between the community and police proved to be vital when a tip-off led to the arrest of three suspects at a lodge on Quarry Road West in Sydenham on Saturday afternoon.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said that police reacted to information of a suspected hijacked vehicle which was spotted at the lodge and, upon arrival, police found two vehicles. One of them was reported hijacked in Sydenham a fortnight ago, whilst the other was hijacked in Newlands recently.
“Upon a further search at the premises, three men, aged 19, 23 and 56, were found inside one room with four firearms, nine fully loaded magazines, eight bullet-resistant vests as well as an empty rifle bag,” Netshiunda said.
“The suspects, who claimed to be from Delft in Cape Town, were arrested and investigations into their possible mission are under way.
“With Sydenham known for persistent drug turf wars, police believe that the suspects, who booked into the lodge from December 6 and were to check out on Monday, December 11, 2023, could have been in the area to execute a hit,” Netshiunda continued.
He added that the suspects would be presented before court after processing.
Last year, the Daily News reported that Sydenham leaders urged police in KZN to act swiftly in the drug war raging between gangs at the Sydenham Heights block of flats.
The calls from community leaders came after they claimed that the flats had fallen into the hands of Cape Town bandits, who were “imported” by local drug lords to help control the area’s drug trade.
It was alleged that gang-related violence was rife in the area and that one alleged drug lord had gone to Cape Town and come back with ‘reinforcements’.
He said that since the arrival of the Cape Town gangs, shootings had increased in the area and the police appeared to be failing to contain the violence.
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