Families seek justice as IPID finds KwaMashu police shootout was fabricated
The late Nhlakanipho Ntuli who was the Chairperson of the Community Policing Forum in KwaMashu and a Deputy Chairperson for the IFP at the hostel branch. Ntuli was among four men who were gunned down by the police, a matter that IPID has referred to the National Prosecuting Authority.
Image: Supplied
The families of four men shot dead by police on Dumisani Makhaye Drive in KwaMashu last March say they owe a debt of gratitude to a brave passerby.
It was this anonymous witness who captured a video of the men alive and surrendering; footage that has now become the cornerstone of a damning investigation.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has officially disputed the South African Police Service's (SAPS) original version of events. While SAPS initially claimed the men died during a high-stakes shootout, IPID’s findings suggest a far more disturbing reality.
On March 20, 2025, Nathi Biyela, 40, Nicolas Biyela, 41, Sanele Ntuli, 25, and Nhlakanipho Ntuli, 31, were killed by police. In the immediate aftermath, police issued a statement labeling the deceased as wanted criminals involved in robbery, murder, and extortion. They maintained that the suspects opened fire first, forcing officers to retaliate with fatal force.
However, social media footage told a different story. The video showed the four men following police orders, exiting their vehicle, and lying face-down on their stomachs.
The late Nathi Biyela who was among the four men gunned down by the police on Dumisani Makhaye Drive in KwaMashi in March last year. The IPID's findings has found that the police fabricated their version of events they claimed the men shot at the police first. The matter has been referred to the National Prosecuting Authority.
Image: Supplied
"We sometimes feel we can’t thank the person who recorded that video enough," said a relative, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"That passerby helped uncover the truth and exposed the claim that they shot first as baseless. At the time, he didn't even know who those men were; he only found out later they had been killed."
IPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping confirmed that the investigation is complete and the docket has been referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
"IPID will be in a better position to comment once a decision [on prosecution] has been taken," Shuping stated.
According to the families, IPID’s briefing to them was clear: the investigation found no evidence that the deceased were involved in the armed robberies or extortion rackets cited by the police.
Families of the four men killed by the police in March last year feel the deceased are vindicated after IPID found that the police fabricated what transpired on that fateful Thursday when they shot the men. Sanele Ntuli was among the deceased.
Image: Supplied
The families believe the killings were not a case of mistaken identity or a botched arrest, but a targeted hit linked to internal political friction at the KwaMashu Hostel.
Nhlakanipho Ntuli, one of the deceased, was the Chairperson of the Community Policing Forum (CPF) and the Deputy Chairperson of the IFP’s hostel branch.
"The claim that the police had been looking for them for some time is a lie," a family member insisted.
"Nhlakanipho attended every party meeting and CPF briefing at the KwaMashu Police Station. If they wanted to arrest him, they would have found him at those meetings."
While the IPID findings have offered a sense of vindication, they have also reopened the deep wounds of grief. The families are now waiting on the NPA to decide whether the officers involved will face murder charges.
"The pain started all over again when IPID vindicated them," the relative said.
"We always knew they were killed for something they didn't do. Now they are gone, leaving young children behind."